Unexpected
by Vampgirl994
Summary: Elena's definition of unexpected meant vampires; a lot of them for that matter, but she wasn't counting on this...not by a long shot.
1. Chapter 1  Temptation

**Unexpected**

**A/N:**** Here's a story for all you Delena lovers! (Like me!) Enjoy! Btw, my story 'when Swan met Salvatore' is being put on hold. I'd rather do this story first, sorry.**

**Summary:**** Elena's definition of unexpected meant vampires; a lot of them for that matter, but she wasn't counting on this...not by a long shot.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own the characters used in this story etc. You know the rest...**

**Chapter 1 – Temptation**

**Elena's POV**

_Elena sighed as she looked out her bedroom window. She wrapped her cardigan around her tightly, as if she was trying to conceal her sadness and depression. She was alone; there was no point in denying it. Stefan had left town in the search for more vervain; which was stupid, Elena thought to herself. She had enough vervain to last her the rest of the year, Stefan was just being over-protective like he always was...he didn't have to leave town. It was getting late; the town was now embedded in perpetual twilight and the street lights were now starting to turn themselves on one by one. Elena played with a strand of her golden hair; this is it, she thought. Vampires could now come out to play. Elena let go of the single strand and slipped into bed. It was better to be safe in bed than anywhere else. Elena classed her bed as her haven; a place where she could dream sweetly and be safe. Nothing could touch her..._

_Bang._

_Elena alerted her senses towards the floor; one of her ceramic ornaments that her parents had given her as a kid, had fallen onto the floor. She rushed out of bed to check the damage; nothing was broken. Elena sighed gratefully and placed the ornament gently back onto the shelf. She then heard a floorboard creaking; Elena made a mental note that it couldn't have been her little sister; she was put to bed an hour ago. Elena remained still but the tiniest smile crept up onto her lips._

"_You sure like to make an entrance" Elena commented out loud._

"_I aim to please" Damon smiled smugly. Elena lightly bit her bottom lip; she wasn't sure whether it was because of her fear or she had a certain pleasure with him being in her bedroom. Elena took in a deep breath, turned around hesitantly and gazed at the familiar stranger standing in her bedroom. From head to toe, he was a vision; Elena couldn't take her eyes off him and again, she never knew whether it was out of fear or whether she really did enjoy looking at him. It had to be fear, Elena confirmed in her mind. Damon could make her do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it; he managed to do it before. She brushed an excess strand behind her ear, crossed her arms and took another deep breath._

"_What are you doing here, Damon?" Elena whispered firmly._

"_I was invited in, wasn't I?" Damon smiled sweetly._

"_Not by me, you weren't" Elena said firmly again._

"_I was invited in, Elena; I'm allowed to come and go as I please" He smiled mischievously._

"_Not if I say you can't" Elena was determined not to fall for his tricks again._

"_Is that a threat?" Damon still continued to smile._

"_If need be" Elena said simply. "This is my house, Damon; I don't want you here"_

"_Come on, Elena; I missed you...can you blame me for that?"_

"_Tell me something new" Elena said completely unconvinced. "Leave now, Damon" _

_Suddenly Damon disappeared and her bedroom window flung open and then gently closed, leaving the window slightly ajar. Elena ran her fingers through her soft hair and took slow steady breaths; relief and triumph flowed through her. Finally, she had managed to get through to him and made him do what she had wanted; now she could finally get some sleep. She walked quickly to the window and closed it gently..._

_Then she saw the reflection in the window._

_Elena turned around to scream until her lungs couldn't take it anymore, but a tender yet cold hand stroked the side of her face._

"_You didn't think I'd leave, did you?" Damon whispered softly in Elena's ear_

"_Damon..." Elena began, but air wouldn't come to her lungs. In her eyes, Damon was simply breath-taking. Damon gazed into Elena's eyes lovingly._

"_I really have missed you, Elena" He whispered. "Seeing you with Stefan...it only makes me want you more" Elena still didn't want to fall for Damon, she knew she would never make that mistake again; but he had said his words with such love and passion and there was also that hint of pain and hurt. Elena could tell he had meant every word. But she couldn't fall for him...she loved Stefan and Stefan only. She did also love Damon but she wasn't __**in**__ love with him; her love for him was like for a brother...nothing more than that._

"_Please Damon...don't do this again" Elena whispered lightly._

"_Elena...I know that you love me"_

"_I do love you, Damon" Elena whispered sadly. "But, I love Stefan more; it's always been Stefan, Damon; please just understand that" Elena knew what she had said had hurt Damon deeply, even if he didn't show it._

"_Don't lie to me, Elena; I know you love me just as much as Stefan"_

"_Damon..." Elena began._

"_You don't have to tell me, Elena; I'll prove it" Damon whispered stroking Elena's golden hair, which was now shimmering in the reflection of the moonlight._

"_Damon...please..." Elena began, but she was powerless; Damon had crushed his lips upon hers with searing passion. The entire time, Elena couldn't help but think about Stefan; what would he have done if he saw her and Damon together? He wouldn't have been happy about it, that was for sure; but Elena could sense just how unloved and hurt Damon had felt. He had been through so much and through all of that, the only emotion that was ever felt or shown towards him was hate; that was the only emotion he's ever known in all of his years of eternal life; whatever happens to him, it stays with him...haunting him, following him. He needed to be loved; he needed to be shown that amongst all that hate, there was a greater, much deeper emotion waiting for him._

_Love._

_Elena knew Stefan would never have forgiven her for this; but she knew this was the right thing to do. She was saving someone from eternal hate and suffering, someone who needed that love and support more than anyone else...even more than Stefan. Damon needed saving. Soon, Elena began to kiss Damon back with the same amount of passion. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in even closer; their lips were now fighting for ownership as they both sensed the hunger and desire. Both of them soon collapsed soundlessly onto the bed. Damon began planting sweet, sensual kisses across Elena's face and neck. Each tender touch sent sparks across Elena's body; she sighed in pleasure. Suddenly, Damon had stopped; Elena felt disappointed, there was something inside her that was actually __**enjoying**__ that. But she had decided not to show it. It was then that she realised that Damon was looking at her neck hungrily and she could see the desperation in his eyes. Elena stroked the side of his face gently._

"_I trust you" She whispered undoubtedly._

_Elena closed her eyes as Damon sank his fangs into her subtle neck; she did not stir at the sharp but quick pain that she had suddenly felt. Elena had meant what she had said. She did trust him, she knew without a doubt that he would never hurt her... because she knew he loved her too._

**THE PRESENT DAY**

Elena woke up in a flash; memories of the other night with Damon had come flooding back. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever felt like that, or whether she had felt like that at all. It felt good, this new feeling; it was like a numbing sensation that seemed to lift up Elena's spirits. She tenderly touched her neck and winced at the slight pain. The bite mark still hadn't healed, but Elena smiled brightly to herself. She grabbed her diary and her pen from her bedside cabinet and began to write.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today is a new day! Right now, I feel great. I can't remember the last time I had this feeling; I think I was like this when I first met Stefan...but I can't really remember. Stefan...thank god, he is coming back today. Having him leaving town was like a serious blow to my heart, but...as usual Damon was always there to provide comfort._

Elena smiled at the last sentence before she wrote again.

_The mark still hasn't healed, it doesn't matter though; I could always wear an ascot just until it heals...I've always wanted to wear one of those! Anyway, Margaret's calling me; I'd best go down and get ready for school._

_Bye for now._

Elena shut her diary and placed it back in the cabinet before happily running downstairs after her sister.

The school parking lot was filled as usual, with a lot of smiling and depressed faces. Amongst all of those faces, Elena managed to see the one face she had been so excited to see, in such a long time.

"Bonnie!" Elena called over to her best friend. Bonnie turned her head around quickly, smiled excitedly and ran over towards Elena before pulling her into a body-crushing hug.

"Elena! How are you? How did your weekend go?" She said after finally letting go of her.

"Great! And I'm fine, you?"

"I'm great now that you're here! Nice ascot!" Bonnie complemented as she stared at Elena's new accessory.

"Thanks...um, where's Meredith?" Elena said looking around aimlessly for her other friend.

"She's at home, she called in sick with the flu" Bonnie said sadly.

"The... flu? It's the middle of August"

"I know...it must be a 24-hour thing or something"

"Yeah, must be; I hope she does get better...otherwise we can't have our girl's night in next week"

"Oh, btw; I have something great planned for our night!"

"Bonnie, this best not end in a disaster like the other one" Elena shook internally at the thought.

"Of course not! Its gunna be a blast!" Bonnie said certainly.

"For your sake, I hope so" Elena said light-heartedly.

"Come on, we best get to class" Bonnie smiled as the final bell rang.

"Miss Gilbert!" A voice suddenly sounded. Elena alerted her senses to the front of the classroom.

"Miss Gilbert; nice of you to come back to reality...now, can you tell me when World War One ended?" Mr Tanner asked her. Elena hadn't known that she had fallen asleep earlier, all she remembered was listening to Tanner and then...nothing. Well, it wouldn't have been the first time she had fallen asleep in his lessons. Elena said the first thing that came into her head.

"...A long time ago?" She guessed stupidly.

"Obviously, Miss Gilbert; now, could you be more specific as in what year?"

"1918" A familiar voice sounded from across the room. Elena smiled lightly.

"Thank you, Mr Salvatore, it was 1918; but I was in fact asking Miss Gilbert" Mr Tanner smiled unimpressed before turning back towards the board.

"It was in fact, the treaty of Versailles that had ended world war one..." Mr Tanner began.

Elena turned her head towards the desk at the opposite side of the room; she smiled brightly.

'_When did you get in?'_ Elena mouthed. Stefan smiled

'_Just now' _He mouthed back.

"Am I interrupting the two of you? Mr Salvatore? Miss Gilbert?" Elena shook her head lightly, Stefan did the same.

"Miss Gilbert...Mr Salvatore; maybe the both of you could continue this love-fest during detention; because I certainly won't have you doing it in my lesson...class dismissed"

"Did you get the vervain?" Elena whispered across the room. Stefan simply nodded.

"You don't look too happy" Elena commented.

"There wasn't enough" Stefan said grimly.

"What do you mean?"

"There wasn't enough where it grew"

"I have enough to last me, Stefan" She said simply.

"But for how long?" There was a long pause.

"...long enough"

"I'm sorry Elena; I just want to protect you, you do know that don't you?"

"Of course I do, Stefan; I couldn't thank you enough for that..."

"But..." Elena sighed at this.

"But. I wished you'd do it less...I know you want to protect me, but I hate it when you have to leave all the time; it hurts Stefan"

"I'm sorry, Elena"

"It's okay...you're here now and that's all that matters"

"Even if we are in detention" Elena giggled at this.

"I've never really imagined you in detention" Elena smiled.

"I've had my fair share of detentions in the past" Stefan smiled.

"And so the truth is revealed! Stefan Salvatore gets detention." Elena said melodramatically.

"...and so will you Miss Gilbert if you speak another word" Mr Tanner said firmly, walking into the room.

Elena blushed immensely and sank further in her chair with embarrassment. She looked over towards Stefan, who was obviously trying to conceal his laughter; but she managed to smile back all the same.

"Hi Elena!" Aunt Judith called from the kitchen as Elena got through the front door.

"Hey, Aunt Judith" Elena called back.

"Elena!" Margaret called as she grabbed onto Elena's leg tightly. Elena couldn't escape; she was a prisoner under Margaret's power.

"Hey sweetie, how have you been?"

"Good! I drew a picture today!"

"Can I see it?" Elena asked excitedly.

"I promised my friend I would show it to them first; they're staying for dinner!"

"Who's your friend, sweetie?" Elena asked curiously.

"Hello Elena" A familiar voice sounded. Elena's head shot up to meet a charming, mischievous smile. She sighed in shock; everything that had happened came rushing back into her mind, she never even noticed that Margaret was still tugging at her leg. Damon looked exactly the way he had the last time she gazed upon him; dark hair, dark clothes, strong posture and eyes that simply melted her or anyone's heart. Elena shook her head lightly.

"Hello" She said simply.

"Damon!" Margaret said excitedly. "I drew a picture today! Do you want to see it?"

"Sure" He said sweetly to her; Margaret giggled and ran into the kitchen. There was an awkward and suspenseful silence that brought tension between both Damon and Elena; both of them knew it. Damon gazed at her with a look that said _'I remember what happened the other night and I know you do to' _but Elena couldn't bring herself to forget that night, she expected that not many other girls would have either; but she knew she had to try at least, even though Damon was forcing her to remember, whether he knew he was doing so or not. In an effort to escape, she rushed past him and entered the living room; Damon had instantly followed and was still gazing upon her with that same look. She wanted Damon to stop; Sure, he had kissed her and she kissed him back...but it was all in the effort of saving him; he should have just let it go by now. Elena sensed obsession, it hung around in the air like a bad smell...she had to put a stop to it.

"Damon...please don't do this again...not here" She whispered pleadingly. Damon disappeared in a flash and reappeared behind her.

"Why? Would you rather we go somewhere else?" He whispered seductively in her ear. Elena bit her lip as a small smile began to creep up and curve her lips slightly. She bypassed it immediately.

"Stefan will be here soon" Elena tried to sound threatening but as usual it seemed to have no effect. Damon stroked her hair lovingly and eyed her ascot with a small smile.

"Remember, Elena; I was invited in...no-one can stop me, not even Stefan" He said sweetly.

"Well, you didn't count on me" Elena said firmly as she pulled away from him. "Damon, I do not want you here"

"No!" a little voice cried. Elena turned around to see her little sister running towards Damon with a large piece of paper in her hand. She tugged at his trouser leg and looked at Elena sadly.

"Please Elena, don't let Damon go; he's my friend" Margaret said as if she was about to cry. Elena, from the very beginning, couldn't resist Margaret when she cried and tried to persuade her to do things. But this time Elena knew she had to say no to her; this was Damon they were talking about. The vampire who loves to get his own way, he was trouble...he had to leave.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but, Damon has to go...don't you?" She eyed him firmly as if she was trying to compel him. In response, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Margaret wants me to stay, Elena; she has a picture to show me" He smiled at her. This infuriated her to the bone; Elena folded her arms in frustration and anger in the hope it would soon be over.

"Yay!" Margaret cheered, waving the paper as she jumped excitedly.

"Go on sweetie, why don't you show him?" Elena encouraged, looking at the paper in her hand. She had made an instant plan in her head; as soon as Margaret showed the picture to him and he saw it, he'll leave, even if it killed Elena to do it. Margaret held up the sheet of paper so Damon could retrieve it. She smiled in excitement and in the hope Damon would like her new drawing. At first, there was a smile on his face; he looked glad that a child had took an actual interest in him...but that smile soon disappeared and turned into an expression of sudden shock and sadness. What had Margaret drawn to make him react like that? Elena thought.

"Margaret, can you come and help me?" Aunt Judith called from the kitchen. Margaret smiled and ran into the kitchen eagerly. Now it was just Damon and Elena again, and now Elena could finally find out what had seemed to affect Damon so much. Damon looked up from the paper and gazed into Elena's eyes; all she could see was sadness. Elena didn't expect in all the time she had known Damon, for him to be affected so much by a child's drawing. She closed her eyes as a large gust of wind filled the room, she opened them hesitantly to find out that Damon had gone, he'd disappeared...leaving only Margaret's drawing finally falling to take his place. Elena hesitantly walked over towards the picture and picked it up slowly; she looked at it with a critic's eye. It was just a drawing of a girl and a boy holding hands and smiling, there was nothing sad or shocking about it... It was only then that Elena realised why it had affected him so much; sure, it was a picture of a girl and a boy holding hands and being happy; that could have been anyone. Sadness and sympathy now rushed through her; she'd saw the label at the bottom of the picture that gave her the answer to her question...

Stefan and Elena.

**END OF CHAPTER!**


	2. Chapter 2  Never Again

**Unexpected **

**Chapter 2 – Never Again**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own any of the characters or any scenes that were used in the actual books themselves. I have only used them for the sole purpose of telling this story.**

**Elena's POV**

Elena clenched her books tightly; what had happened last night was playing on her mind like a song she couldn't get rid of, whether she wanted to remember it or not. She sighed. Elena had the faintest hope that she would soon see Damon again; to tell him that Margaret's drawing should have meant nothing to him, it was an innocent thing for her to do; Damon didn't have to react like that. Elena closed her eyes as a small breeze brushed past her. She sighed before finally leaving the front porch to get to school. The sound of a large bird echoed in the air; Elena turned her head and dropped her books in the process. There was a tree across the street, and there it was, perching silently on the end branch, staring at her with its big black eyes. Elena slightly tightened her ascot before hesitantly picking up her books.

"Go away!" She shouted at the bird, signalling it to leave with her free hand. The bird stayed put.

"Go away! I don't want you here!" She shouted again. Suddenly the bird left in a way that was so familiar to her, but she bypassed it; it was only a stupid bird after all. Elena sighed in relief and brushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear. Time for school, she thought.

"Bonnie, what have you got planned for our girls' night in?" Elena asked suddenly as they both went to their lockers.

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know; I just want it to take my mind off of everything" Elena said sadly.

"Stuff been getting to you?" Bonnie guessed.

"Too much stuff" Elena agreed.

"Well I can guarantee it will take your mind off of things"

"I hope so" Elena said sadly.

"Is everything okay?" Stefan's voice sounded behind her. Elena turned around quickly to be met by glistening emerald eyes and a heart-melting smile. Elena blushed.

"Yeah, everything's fine" She tried to assure him; but in reality she was only trying to reassure herself.

"I'll leave you both to it" Bonnie whispered with a smile and crept past the both of them.

"I've missed you" Elena said sadly but with a smile. She was happy to see that warm, welcoming face that she knew was going to grant her safety and protection.

"You saw me yesterday" Stefan said light-heartedly.

"Yesterday wasn't enough; you left me for two whole days, I want those days back" Elena said poking him lightly on the chest with her finger.

"Why don't we start with tonight then? You could come along to the boarding house" Stefan offered. A lump formed in Elena's throat; the boarding house meant that not only will she and Stefan be there...but Damon would be too. She couldn't upset Damon even more by showing up with Stefan; Margaret's drawing had already hurt him enough. Stefan began to sense Elena's discomfort.

"Elena? Is that okay or do you want to go somewhere else instead?" Elena gulped and smiled.

"No. The boarding house sounds great" She said finally. Stefan didn't look convinced.

"What's wrong Elena?"

"Nothing's wrong, Stefan; Everything's fine" Elena said brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"When I mentioned the boarding house...you sort of...looked uncomfortable"

"Did I? I never really noticed" Elena said simply in the hope of moving onto another subject.

"Is it Damon?" Stefan suddenly asked; Elena's eyes widened.

"Why would you think it's Damon?" Elena asked defensively.

"Has he been near you? Has he touched you?" Stefan asked nervously.

"No. Why would you think that? Damon hasn't been anywhere near me, not even whilst you were away" Elena said firmly; she prayed deeply that Stefan would be convinced by what she had said. If not...well, she didn't know.

"I'm sorry Elena...I'm just being over-protective again" Stefan said sadly.

"I know you can't help it, Stefan; its okay" Elena sighed before speaking again.

"Do you really distrust Damon that much?"

"Damon has no regards for human life at all, Elena; I have to distrust him, god only knows what would happen if I began to trust him" Stefan looked uncomfortable as he tried to consider the thought.

"Maybe you should" Elena said simply. Stefan frowned.

"Why?"

"Damon is a lot more than what you make him out to be, Stefan; if he had no regards for human life, he would have finished me whilst you were away or maybe even earlier than that; My point is...I know that somewhere deep inside Damon, he still has his humanity and his compassion for it, even if he doesn't look or acts like he has it"

"You're willing to put all of your trust into him?" Stefan was now intrigued by Elena's new theory.

"Are you?" Elena countered.

"I'm his brother, Elena; I **know** he has no humanity left. He gave that up years ago; I envy you for thinking he had the slightest bit left, but he hasn't"

"That still doesn't mean it's not there"

"Elena...please tell me, are you seriously going to put your trust into him?"

"Only if you will" Stefan sighed in frustration, but also in defeat.

"Elena, I don't want you to base your trust on what I feel"

"I'm not. I'm just asking for you to trust him first before I do; I know how much it would hurt you for me to trust him while you can't"

"You know I can't trust him, Elena; whether you want to or not, that's your choice. I'm not here to make it for you"

"Now that you've said that...I'm not sure what to think" Elena said uncertainly.

"Elena. If you want to trust him, I have no objection to that...I just want you be careful; be on your guard"

"Surely if I can trust him...you could too; I mean, you trust me and my decisions"

"Of course I do...but this is something I can't do, not even if I tried"

"You thought you'd never be able to resist human blood but you did it" Elena whispered as another student walked past them.

"Elena..." Stefan began defensively.

"If you could do that Stefan, you can sure as hell trust Damon"

"I'm guessing you've made your decision" Stefan said sadly.

"I think I have" Elena said quietly, lowering her head.

"You're right" Stefan said finally; Elena raised her head. "If I have the will to stop having human blood, I could at least try to trust Damon; I mean, they both bring the same amount of torture" There was a long pause before Stefan sighed.

"We have to go to class, Elena; hopefully I'll see you tonight" Stefan smiled.

"You will" Elena smiled lightly. Stefan gave her a small kiss on the forehead before turning to walk away. As Elena watched Stefan walk away, the smile soon disappeared. She closed her locker. She had a feeling that her decision to get Stefan to trust Damon was going to be something that she was going to regret deeply.

"I don't know what to do, Aunt Judith" Elena said defeated as she sat at the kitchen table; she placed her school bag on the floor, it fell with a light thud.

"What's wrong, Elena? Is it school?" Aunt Judith said sitting at the opposite side of the table with a cup of tea in her hand.

"I wish" Elena said miserably.

"What is it?" Aunt Judith frowned.

"To cut to the chase...it's Stefan" Elena sighed.

"What about him? Did he break up with you or something?"

"He will do, if he finds out why I've made him agree to something I've made him do"

"What did you do, Elena?"

"I made him trust his brother" Elena said finally with a sigh.

"What's so bad about that?"

"Stefan and his brother have...issues"

"Brothers always have issues with each other, Elena; that's what makes them brothers"

"No. When I say issues I mean, **issues**"Elena hinted.

"Oh, I get it; Damon ripped apart his favourite toy and Stefan hasn't forgiven him since" Aunt Judith said with a small smile. Elena shook her head lightly.

"What? Doesn't it always come to that with brothers?" Aunt Judith asked light-heartedly

"They wish. They have deep-seated issues that would probably follow them for the rest of their lives; for an eternity, if they lived forever" Elena knew that Aunt Judith would think she was exaggerating at the eternity and forever part; oh, if only she knew the truth, Elena thought.

"And what are these _'deep-seated issues'_ that they have?"

"A girl" Elena said simply

"I knew it! Let me guess. They were both loved up with the same girl and she was too selfish to decide between them so it all ended badly, right?" Elena was surprised at how close Aunt Judith was to the actual truth. Elena slowly nodded.

"Something like that" She said simply.

"And you're caught up in the middle of that?" Aunt Judith was now starting to take the conversation more seriously.

"Not really"

"Not really? Elena, it sounds like this problem was waiting for you the minute you decided to be with Stefan and you've been pulled right in the middle of it"

"Aunt Judith, it's not really affecting me"

"Says you, Miss 'I-don't-know-what-to-do' You are right in the middle of it whether you think you are affected by it or not"

"I'm not affected by it" Elena said defensively.

"Then why did you persuade Stefan to trust Damon? So they'd finally stop and you'd finally be free from the problems they've dragged you into?"

"I don't know why I did it, Aunt Judith; I don't know" Elena said getting out of her seat in frustration.

"Something must have made you do it, Elena; you wouldn't have done it for nothing"

"I must have had some reason at the time" Elena agreed. "But whatever it was, it just doesn't make sense to me anymore. That's why I don't know what to do...I'm scared, Aunt Judith, I'm scared something's going to make me regret it"

"Maybe you did it because you're in that deep and you just wanted to get out of it" Aunt Judith said supportively. Elena contemplated that for a minute; it actually made sense, even though she's never felt the need to escape; she's managed to handle it until now. That was it. She's managed to cope until now, but how long could she do it for? Elena nodded slowly, grabbed her bag, left the kitchen and walked towards the front door.

"Where are you going, Elena?" Aunt Judith called from behind her. Elena looked at her with a simple glance.

"I'm getting out of it" Elena opened the door and quickly left.

Elena knocked on the boarding house door; she hoped it was quiet enough not to wake Mrs Flowers; she would have been taking a nap right about now. Elena waited impatiently for the door open to that familiar face; which face, she didn't want to know. With what she had set to do, she didn't mind which one. Behind her, Elena could hear branches rustling in the breeze and various animals with their unique, individual sounds echoing in the air; but all of that had just added to her frustration. Elena was about to knock on the door for the second time, when the door opened so quickly that Elena still had her hand in the air. She put it down immediately and stared at the person in front of her; beautiful dark eyes, sleek dark hair, stylish black shirt and trousers. No air seemed to get through to Elena's lungs, though she tried desperately to concentrate on her breathing, she knew she was going to pass out any second.

"Can I come in?" Elena asked breathlessly.

"Stefan isn't here" Damon frowned, his lips pressed into a neutral line.

"I'm not here for Stefan" She assured him. A smile crept up his lips but it soon disappeared.

"Good, because I don't want you here" Damon said irritably.

"I was invited here Damon" Elena said firmly. Now she began to realise the turn in which the conversation had taken them.

"Not by me, Elena" Damon soon smiled; Elena didn't know whether to smile in return.

"Can I...?" She began to ask again.

"Fine" Damon said; he still had the smile on his face.

Damon stepped behind the door to let Elena enter the boarding house. Behind Elena, she could hear the sound of Damon shutting the door gently. Elena continued to walk through the front hall and stood by the fireplace when she entered the living room; she placed her bag on the floor. Damon looked at her with a small frown when he himself entered the living room.

"I'm guessing the reason you came to see me isn't particularly good"

"What happened the other night..." Elena began.

"I know. I shouldn't have reacted like that; I know I must have hurt Margaret's feelings" Damon tried to say sympathetically.

"You did" Elena confirmed. "But I wasn't talking about that...I was talking about the other night when...you were in my room" A bright smile was now on Damon's face.

"We had fun didn't we?"

"I have nothing to say to that" Elena said folding her arms.

"Come on, Elena; you and I both know that you enjoyed it just as much as I did" Damon said walking towards her. Each step he took sent a shockwave through Elena's body. He soon placed his forehead onto hers, ran his fingers through her wind-blown hair and sighed.

"How can you deny what we have?" He whispered gently.

"Damon..." Elena began, trying to resist.

"I know you love me more than you love Stefan; you proved that when you kissed me back" He whispered.

"D-Damon..." Elena continued.

"Say you love me, Elena" He whispered sadly and expectantly.

"Damon..."

"Say it...please" He said with desperation.

"Damon, I don't love you!" Elena said, finally getting her words out. Damon pulled away from her in shock and sadness.

"I don't think you heard me...I wanted you to say that you loved me" Damon frowned sadly

"I heard you perfectly Damon" Elena said firmly.

"What?" There was anger and sadness in his voice; Elena knew she was at a breakthrough.

"I heard you perfectly Damon; I don't love you...or at least I did"

"You did?"

"You had to go and push it over the mark; I only loved you like a brother, nothing more than that. You've only ruined it for yourself. I can't believe I tried to get Stefan to trust you"

"But that night...you kissed me back" Damon said angrily.

"Out of sympathy, Damon; I did it because I thought I was saving you"

"Saving me?"

"I did it to show you that there was one person who could show you love, when all you've known is hate; but now you've only gone and ruined it for yourself"

"I think you'd better leave" Damon said angrily.

"I'm sorry it has to be like this, Damon; but I knew if I didn't take myself out of it...I'd be stuck forever with no way out"

"I said I think you'd better leave" Damon said firmly.

"I'm sorry, Damon; I only wish that I'd done it sooner" Elena said finally.

"Get out!" He shouted. At that moment, Damon's face had changed; the colour of his eyes had darkened, there were dark circles around his eyes and his fangs had extended. Elena grabbed her bag, ran out of the room hastily and rested her back on the wall. Large tears fell down her face when she heard the sound of glass smashing against a wall. She'd done it; she'd finally run Damon down to the point where he would now be forever in pain; more than he had been at least. But it was like Aunt Judith had said; Elena **was **being affected by all of it and she **had** persuaded Stefan to trust Damon because she wanted them to sort it all out, just so she could be free. But there was no sense of accomplishment, only hurt and pain and all she could do now was walk away and never look back. Elena crept across the front hall and slowly opened the door.

Never again, she thought.

Then she left.

**END OF CHAPTER!**

**Hope you enjoyed it! Please R&R, whether it's to tell me you like the story or its completley rubbish. Either way, at least I'll know.**

**Next chapter coming soon! **


	3. Chapter 3 Avoidances

**Unexpected**

**Chapter 3 – Avoidances **

**Elena's POV**

_Dear Diary,_

_I did it. I've finally destroyed Damon in a way I thought would be impossible. My decision to get Stefan to trust him was a big mistake; I knew I would regret it and as a result...well, I've already told you. I just hope I will never have to do anything like that again; I just couldn't go through it again and if Stefan found out about it all...well, the people of Dumps-Ville will be welcoming me with open arms. I think the hardest thing now is seeing Stefan's face everyday especially because we both go to school together. I just wish it could be somehow made easier for me; it seems idealistic, I know. I should have known I'd be expecting this..._

_Anyway, I'd best get ready for school...I have to at least try to get along with my life._

_Wish me luck!_

Elena frowned at the last sentence before putting her diary away. She made a mental note that if Stefan asked her anything, she would smile and nod, and hopefully it will be believable.

**ONCE AT SCHOOL...**

"Elena!" A friendly voice called her. Elena turned around excitedly.

"Meredith!" She said pulling her friend into a bone-crushing hug.

"Gosh, Elena; I should get sick more often" Meredith smiled. Elena let go of Meredith and smiled brightly.

"Sorry Meredith; I've just missed you that's all"

"That's okay; I've missed you too and Bonnie"

"Speaking of Bonnie; where is she?"

"Checking out some hottie in the parking lot" Meredith smiled. Elena rolled her eyes.

"So... what have I missed? Been busy with Stefan?" Meredith smiled.

"I've been busy alright, but not in the way you're thinking" Elena said sadly.

"Why what's happened?"

"I can't really say...but it does involve Stefan"

"Surely you can tell me, Elena" Meredith said placing her hand on Elena's arm supportively.

"I wish I could, but, I'm in too deep to really say anything"

"Does Bonnie know any of this?"

"No. I haven't told anybody" Elena ran her hand through her hair in frustration.

"Not even Aunt Judith?"

"She doesn't know about Stefan and Damon, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that's right; well, if you can't talk to anybody, surely you could speak to Stefan"

"I don't want to talk to Stefan; I don't think I could face him right now" Elena clenched her books tightly.

"Well, you'd best hide because he's on his way here" Elena turned around quickly. Meredith was right; Stefan was heading towards them, quite quickly in fact. Elena turned back around and looked at Meredith with great desperation.

"Help me!" She whispered.

"What do you want me to do?" Meredith whispered back.

"Get rid of him" Elena whispered firmly. Elena opened her locker and pretended to search through it for something she may have forgotten. She prayed deeply that Meredith would be able to get through to Stefan and hopefully he would leave her alone; no, this was Stefan she was trying to avoid. He would never give up.

"Err...Hello, Stefan" Elena heard Meredith say politely.

"Hello Meredith, would you mind if I spoke to Elena?" Stefan said politely.

"Of course, but...err, I don't think she's in the best of moods today"

"If it's about me not showing up yesterday, I apologize deeply" He didn't show up yesterday? Not even after I left? Elena asked herself. She continued to root through her locker, trying to ignore the conversation.

"Err...I don't think it's about that, Stefan; I think she's just got out of the wrong side of the bed today"

"Okay, well, tell her I'll see her after school" Stefan said simply.

"Elena, he's gone" Meredith whispered. Elena sighed in relief and gratitude; she quickly closed her locker door.

"Thank you" Elena sighed in gratitude.

"Elena, I feel bad" Meredith said sadly.

"For what?"

"For making Stefan go away; I mean, for all I know, the poor guy hasn't even done anything. What has he done to deserve that, Elena?"

"He hasn't done anything, Meredith" Elena said frustrated.

"Then why did I just turn him away?" Meredith asked firmly.

"I'm confused, alright!"

"You made me turn Stefan away because you're...confused?"

"I don't know what to feel right now, Meredith; things have happened and I didn't want to drag Stefan into it because I'm so mixed up about it"

"Then why don't you tell me and Bonnie? We're your friends, Elena; we're always here for you"

"I know you are, but, this is something I just can't talk about"

"Listen, if you're not telling us because you think we're going to freak; honey, we've heard and seen it all" Meredith smiled.

"Not this" Elena said sadly.

"What's up guys?" Bonnie said as she came over.

"Elena is confused and won't tell us why" Meredith said.

"What are you confused about, Elena?" Bonnie asked.

"Thanks, Meredith" Elena whispered sarcastically.

"Elena?" Bonnie asked again.

"Guys, please...give me some space"

"We would if you told us what's wrong" Meredith said firmly.

"Guys, I have to get to class" Elena said firmly, pushing past the both of them.

**LATER ON IN THE DAY...**

_Dear Diary,_

_I thought I could do it; I thought_ _I could face Stefan and be able to make it through the day. I was wrong; I should have known I couldn't do it. I can't believe I thought I could at least try to do it. Now even Meredith and Bonnie are questioning why I can't do anything anymore; I know I'll have to tell them at least at some point, but I'm just so caught up in my feelings right now, it's too dangerous for me to say anything. I just don't know what to do..._

"Miss Gilbert!" A voice sounded in the room. Elena quickly lifted her head up to see that the entire class was looking at her, including the teacher.

"Yes, Mr Smith?" She responded.

"Could you repeat Mercutio's last line?" Mr Smith said firmly.

"A plague upon both your houses" Elena recited.

"Thank you, Miss Gilbert; I'm glad to see you **were** paying attention...now, we all know how the story of Romeo and Juliet ends..." Mr Smith turned to the board. Elena sighed in relief; she opened her diary and began to write...

_That was close; I should be more careful. I just don't know what to do anymore... I can't keep avoiding Stefan all the time; he'll soon figure out that there's something that's affecting me and he'll stop at nothing until he finds out... And I know I sure as hell can't talk to Damon; I've destroyed him enough as it is. He's probably inflicting all of the pain I've caused him onto another poor soul; why did I have to open my big mouth? Oh, that's right! Because I was stupid enough to think I couldn't have handled it; I should have left things the way they were. Maybe I should just become a loner; that way, nobody will get hurt..._

Elena closed her diary as the final bell sounded in the corridor, signalling the end of the day.

**ON THE WAY HOME...**

A violent breeze blew through Elena's golden hair causing it to shimmer and glisten in the afternoon sun; Elena clenched the strap of her bag tightly. The quicker she got home, the better, she thought to herself. An animal's voice sounded from a close distance. Elena's heart jumped as she saw the same black crow, perching on a long, twisty branch. From what Elena could see, it looked as if it was glaring at her. She stopped and stared at the bird; the way it ruffled its feathers, sent shivers down Elena's back.

"Go away!" She shouted at the bird. It didn't stir; now she was frightened.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted. Elena then began to run down the street; a part of her was telling her that it was only a bird and there was nothing to be afraid of, but the other part, was telling her that even though it was a bird, something about it meant trouble and she had to get away. Elena continued to run, run and never dared to look back. For all she knew, the bird could have flown away by now, away to its natural habitat; but something was telling her otherwise. Finally, Elena couldn't run anymore and leant on a lamp-post to catch her breath. She placed her hand on her chest; her heart was pounding hard against her skin. Elena sighed in relief; the bird must have left. Then Elena looked up; she screamed when she saw that the bird was staring at her with its beady eyes on top of the lamp-post; she started to run again. This time, she dared to look back; she knew something about that bird meant trouble. Soon, Elena's surroundings changed when her body came crashing on the concrete surface.

"Ow" She mumbled; Elena tried to get herself up again. "Stupid Bird" She mumbled again. She soon felt a sharp pain coming from her knee; she inspected the damage, it was just as she thought...it was covered with blood. Elena groaned and tried to stand up; once she was able to stand up straight, she rubbed her hands together to get rid of the pieces of concrete that had remained embedded in her skin. Look at me, Elena thought; Frightened by a stupid bird. Elena bent down to pick up her bag and slowly continued to walk home.

**ONCE AT HOME...**

"Elena! What happened to you?" Aunt Judith said when Elena came through the door.

"Don't ask" Elena said tiredly.

"Do you want me to get the first aid kit?" She said looking at Elena's wound.

"If you think it'll help" Elena said sarcastically; she walked slowly into the kitchen and dropped her bag onto the table and sat down on the chair exhaustedly.

"I think I'm losing it, Aunt Judith" Elena said simply.

"Well, you must be if you're coming home with cuts and bruises" Aunt Judith said as she came towards her with a first aid kit.

"I didn't plan on it. I mean...there was this bird and..." Elena ran her hand through her hair.

"And... what? You got scared and ran?" Aunt Judith guessed. Elena nodded.

"Why what did it do? Stare at you or something?"

"Something like that"

"Well, if you're getting scared of something like that...you must be losing it" Aunt Judith said simply as she cleansed and bandaged Elena's knee.

"I just don't know what's with me, lately; maybe I should just get some sleep"

"Sounds like a good idea" Aunt Judith agreed. "There, you're all done for now"

"Where's Margaret?" Elena soon asked.

"She's staying at a friend's house tonight; won't be able to pick her up till tomorrow"

"Okay...well, err...I'll just go to bed then" Elena got up from the kitchen table and headed straight for the stairs.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat before you go up?" Aunt Judith called after her.

"No thanks, I'm fine" Elena called back; she then headed up the stairs.

**SOME TIME LATER...**

'_Something always bring me back to you,_

_It never takes too long...'_

The sound of Elena's ringtone echoed in the room; Elena finished putting on her vest-top and sweatpants before answering the call.

"Hello?" She answered.

"_Elena?" _the voice sounded.

"Stefan?" Elena sat on her bed and crossed her legs.

"_Elena...are you doing okay?"_

"Yeah...why wouldn't I be?"

"_Meredith said..."_ Stefan began.

"Ignore what Meredith said...I'm fine, perfect, couldn't be better" She interrupted.

"_I waited for you after school" _

"Sorry Stefan...Mr Tanner kept me behind" Elena lied apologetically.

"_We didn't have his lesson today_" An ache formed in her throat.

"I know...but, I was behind on an assignment" she lied again.

"_We didn't get any..."_ Stefan began.

"Its extra credit" Elena interrupted.

"_Oh_" Stefan said simply; Elena sighed. There was a long, awkward pause that Elena wanted to be filled with either one of them talking; she thought it best if she started.

"...How's err...Damon?" Elena asked randomly; she never expected herself to actually ask Stefan that question, especially after all that had happened.

"_He's probably inflicting pain on someone somewhere_" Stefan guessed.

"He's not with you?" Elena frowned.

"_No_" He continued. "_Although I must admit, he has been acting a bit_ _different lately"_

"How so?"

"_Well, he's been doing a lot more disappearing acts and he hasn't said a word to me for days, not even if there's something he could tease me about"_

"Stefan, that's just Damon being Damon; I'm sure it's nothing"

"_Yeah...it must be_" Stefan said uncertainly.

Tap Tap Tap.

Elena's heart skipped a beat when she heard a noise coming from her window; she hesitantly moved across her bed to investigate.

"_Elena, is everything okay?" _Stefan soon asked. Elena never took her eyes off the window.

"Yeah...err, listen, I'm gonna have to go; I'll call you soon okay?"

"_Sure, Elena_" Stefan said simply. "_I'll see you at school_"

"Love you, Stefan"

"_Love you, too_" Then the line was disconnected. Elena, with her eyes still on the window, threw the phone on the opposite side of the bed. She climbed off of her bed and walked towards the window. The view outside was the same as always; trees blowing in the breeze, other houses in the neighbourhood...same view as always. Elena sighed and decided to head back to her bed.

Tap, Tap, Tap.

Elena stopped dead in her tracks; there it was again. She hesitantly looked around at the window.

Tap, Tap, Tap.

Elena gasped and fell backwards onto her bed. The crow continued to tap on the window, as if desperate to be let in.

"No" Elena said firmly. The crow stared at her and tapped on the window again.

"No!" Elena shouted. She picked up one of her pillows and threw it at the window. The crow jumped back in shock and flew away. Elena sighed in relief.

"Okay, Elena; you have officially lost it" She told herself.

"I'll say" Aunt Judith agreed when she came through Elena's door.

"How much of that did you see?" Elena picked up her pillow from the floor and placed it back onto the bed.

"Not much; I heard you talking to yourself whilst I came up the stairs" Elena blushed.

"I don't know why, but I seem to be doing it a lot lately"

"Have you tried writing in your diary?"

"Yeah, but, it doesn't help that much"

"Maybe you should get some sleep" Elena tucked herself into her bed sheets and turned off her bedside lamp.

"Sleep tight, Elena" Aunt Judith exited the room.

Elena placed her head gently onto the pillow and pulled the covers over shoulder to keep her warm. She sighed; the pillow wasn't providing the same comfort as it did every night. Something felt odd...but Elena decided to embrace it and closed her eyes. Just as her eyes began to close, there was the distant sound of the crow, sounding in the background.

_Elena felt a small breeze blowing through her satin hair. She frowned; she had no idea where she was, and yet, she didn't want to know. There was just something about this place that seemed to reek with trouble. There was nothing but darkness; Elena stood motionless; she knew something was coming...she just had to wait for it. Suddenly, there were shadows moving all around her, as if they were waiting for just the right moment to possess her. "Stefan!" Elena called aloud. Please help me, she pleaded in her mind. Elena knew that there wasn't going to be any response. The shadows seemed to move a lot faster as Elena's heart began skip a couple of beats. The sudden sounds of a crow began to echo in the air; Elena began to whimper and curled herself into a ball. "Stefan!" She cried aloud. "Please...help me, Stefan!"_

"_Stefan's not here to help you" A voice echoed in the air. Elena lifted her head slightly to notice that all of the shadows that were circling her had disappeared and there were no sounds of any crows...just this one voice. Elena hesitantly stood up and lifted her head; her eyes widened in shock. "D...Damon? Oh, thank God you're here! I was so scared" Elena wrapped her arms around a motionless Damon, who didn't seem the slightest bit happy about Elena's presence._

"_I'm not here to help you, Elena" He said impassively. Elena immediately let go of Damon and looked at him with a confused look. "Why? Why aren't you here to help me?" Damon glared at her with his dark eyes. "Because you don't want me here" Elena shook her head lightly in shock. "No...No, Damon; I do want you here...I want you to protect me...please, please help me Damon" Elena found that she was almost in tears, practically begging him to help. Damon sighed as he considered what Elena was asking of him; then he looked at her with the same glare. "Sorry, Elena; you made it very clear to me that you don't want me"_

"_No! Please Damon, I want you here..." Elena began, but Damon soon interrupted her. "Why don't you beg Stefan to help you? He's the one you want, he's the one you're destined to be with...he's the one who should help you. It always comes to Stefan in the end, whereas I'm left in the shadows" There was a slight hint of sadness within Damon's face. A large tear fell from Elena's eye. "Stefan isn't here" She cried. "Which is why you want me here" Damon glared; he sighed before placing his hand gently on Elena's cheek. "If I can't have you...neither can Stefan" Damon gazed firmly into Elena's eyes. Soon, his entire face had changed; His fangs were extended and his eyes had darkened, ready for the attack. "Please..." Elena begged quietly in the hope Damon would change his mind. But it was too late._

_Everything had gone black._

**END OF CHAPTER!**

**Next one on its way soon! Let me know what you think!**

**Bye-bye for now! **** BTW, Elena's ringtone is gravity by Sara Bareilles ( I don't own the song btw) **


	4. Chapter 4  No School

**Unexpected**

**Chapter 4 – No School**

**Elena's POV**

"NO!" Elena screamed waking up in a flash; she looked around frantically to soon notice she was back in her bedroom. She sighed in relief and placed her right hand on her forehead; there were tiny drops of sweat cascading down her face. Elena turned her body slightly; it was just a bad dream, she thought to herself; though it did seem surprisingly real. Elena pulled away her duvet and hung over the edge of her bed and began staring at the floor. Her head was spinning in ways she never even thought could happen. Elena got up immediately and went into the bathroom. She turned on the tap and cupped her hands together; the water she retrieved, she threw onto her face. She turned off the tap and looked into the mirror. Elena's reflection wasn't Elena at all...it was some zombie that had somehow taken her place. Her skin was pasty and her eyes had stopped sparkling; even her golden, luxurious hair had lost its shine and looked like straw.

"What's happening to me?" She whispered aloud. Elena lifted her hand and looked at it nervously; her hand was shaking more than a Chihuahua.

"It was just a dream" She whispered. "It was just a dream" She exited the bathroom and quietly snuck back into her bedroom. Elena looked at the window with great concentration; something inside was telling her that somehow that crow was still outside waiting for her; she tightly clenched her necklace, that Stefan had given her, before returning back to her bed. Once there, she opened her bedside cabinet and took out her diary and pen; she began to write...

_Dear Diary,_

_Sorry I am writing so late, but, it happened again; that nightmare. It was different this time, but it still had the same sort of message... Damon isn't over me. Lately there has been a crow that has been following me, staring at me with its beady eyes, watching my every move. I thought talking to somebody about it would help so I spoke to Aunt Judith; no luck whatsoever, she just thinks I'm getting paranoid over nothing. What if I am? Could I be imagining this whole thing? The crow? The dreams? Damon? A part of me agrees with those questions; yes, I am just being paranoid and it is just my own guilt that has caused me to believe in the imaginary. But there is still another part of me that disagrees with those questions on all levels; maybe I wasn't imagining this and all of it was actually happening to me because of what I did to Damon. It's all finally catching up to me. I've just looked at the clock; it says 1:30. I should get some sleep, I have school tomorrow; but I'm so scared of falling asleep, I don't want to go through all of that again; I have enough of that when I'm awake. Okay, I've just yawned; a definite sign that I am unable to stay awake. I have to sleep._

_Goodnight...At least I hope it will be._

**Meredith's POV**

"Bonnie!" Meredith called from across the corridor.

"Hi Meredith" Bonnie responded as she walked over; she couldn't stop smiling.

"What are you so smiley about?" Meredith asked, smiling also.

"Remember that boy I was 'observing' in the parking lot yesterday?"

"I think everyone remembers that, Bonnie; everyone saw you practically gawping at the poor guy" Bonnie blushed.

"Anyway, the boy I saw; his name is Kieran, he's new to the school and he asked me _personally_ to show him around!"

"That's great, Bon! I'm glad his name's Kieran though...I thought it'd be something totally ironic, like Clyde" Meredith laughed dramatically, tapping Bonnie with her elbow, expecting her to laugh too. Bonnie folded her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Very funny, Meredith" Bonnie said completely unimpressed; Meredith stopped laughing.

"Where's Elena?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know; I haven't seen her since she left us yesterday, after we tried to get her to talk to us" Meredith folded her arms.

"About that, I'm seriously worried about her"

"Me too" Meredith agreed. "But, if it's something she can't talk about...we should just leave her be"

"Elena's always telling us things, whether she can tell us or not" Bonnie frowned.

"Well, this is going to have to be an exception"

"Either way, Meredith; I want her to tell me, whether she can't or not and today, is going to be that day"

"That's if you can find her first" Meredith said looking around.

"You're not going to ask her too?"

"No, I'm not; I'm trusting Elena enough to sort it all out without us"

"What if she can't, Meredith? What do we do then?" Bonnie said worriedly, placing both her hands on Meredith's arms.

"We have to trust her, Bonnie"

"Do you think Stefan trusts her?" Bonnie was quick in changing the subject.

"He must do if he's not asking questions" Meredith said simply.

"I thought Elena would have at least told Stefan what was going on"

"I thought so too, but...she hasn't" Meredith began to lean against her locker.

"Speaking of Stefan...he's standing right over there" Bonnie nodded in Stefan's direction. Meredith turned around and looked at him before turning back to face Bonnie.

"Bonnie, you're not going to ask him are you?" Meredith asked nervously.

"Ask him what?" She asked innocently, shrugging her shoulders.

"You know what I mean, Bonnie"

"No worries; I'm just going to innocently ask Stefan where Elena is...that's all" Bonnie said sweetly and smiled.

"No, Bonnie" Meredith said strongly. But it was hopeless; Bonnie had already made her way across the corridor and had begun talking to him. Meredith lightly slapped her hand against her forehead and slid her hand down her face in frustration.

"I swear that girl's going to get us in trouble" She mumbled. Meredith sighed in frustration before deciding to join Bonnie; hopefully not to get her out of the trouble she's now probably just caused, Meredith prayed in her mind.

"So...Elena's not with you?" Bonnie asked as Meredith stood by her side.

"No" Stefan said simply. "I thought she'd be with you, seeming as though you are her friends and she spends a lot more time with you than me"

"Actually Stefan, she hasn't been spending any time with us at all...she's been avoiding us since yesterday" Bonnie said seriously; Meredith hit Bonnie's arm with her elbow and glared at her seriously. Stefan frowned; thanks Bonnie, Meredith said sarcastically in her mind.

"Avoiding you?"

"Just ignore her Stefan" Meredith interrupted, immediately stepping in front of Bonnie. "I'm sure Elena's fine! Bonnie's just being paranoid, like she always is...aren't you Bonnie?" Meredith turned around to glare at Bonnie; Bonnie nodded simply.

"I'm sorry if I worried you, Stefan... I was just being paranoid; Elena's one of my best friends, I was just looking out for her" She said apologetically.

"I understand" Stefan nodded; Meredith frowned.

"Are you okay, Stefan? You look worried" She asked, concerned.

"It's Damon. He's gone on one of his rampages; no-one's really safe and with Elena not in my sight..." Stefan hung his head, frightened at the thought that had entered his head.

"Don't worry, Stefan; we'll protect her" Meredith said certainly, placing her hand on his shoulder. She felt Stefan shake under her touch; maybe touching a frantic vampire wasn't the best thing to do, Meredith thought in her mind.

"Damon will have to get through the both of us if he wants to get to Elena"

"That's what I'm afraid of" Stefan murmured grimly.

"What makes you think its Elena he'll get to, Stefan?" Bonnie soon asked.

"Didn't you hear him, Bonnie? Damon will get to anyone, whether it be Elena or someone else. Nothing will stop him" Meredith turned to her; Stefan nodded sadly.

"Well, what can we do if nothing can stop him?" Bonnie asked worriedly.

"There's only one thing we can do...keep Elena in our sights and not let her out of them" Meredith said.

"Slight problem" Bonnie lifted a finger.

"What is it, Bonnie?" Stefan frowned.

"How can we keep Elena in our sights...when she isn't even here?"

"Good point" Meredith said.

"Is she unwell?" Stefan asked nervously.

"She seemed fine yesterday" Meredith shrugged her shoulders.

"Apart from the fact that something was bothering her" Bonnie said plainly; Meredith hit her with her elbow.

"Listen, I have to go and do something; would you ladies excuse me?" Stefan asked politely, completely ignoring Bonnie's statement.

"Sure" Both girls smiled in unison. Meredith and Bonnie stepped aside to let Stefan cut through the middle. He strode across the corridor with his head slightly hung. Both Meredith and Bonnie looked at him with confused looks on their faces.

**Elena's POV**

Elena had woken up witha pounding headache; everything around her seemed to spin around in little circles causing her to feel ten times as dizzy as she already felt. Elena groaned with frustration. She ran her fingers through her straw-like hair, moving it away from her face; she rubbed her eyes groggily and moaned tiredly. Elena slowly opened her eyes and looked at alarm clock; her eyes widened in shock. 12:24Pm.

"Shoot!" She said out loud. Elena's senses were soon alerted to her bedroom window and the intense light that shone through it. She soon forced her head back onto her pillow in frustration; there's no point in going to school now, Elena thought in her mind.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

"Come in" Elena yawned. Elena's door creaked open to reveal Aunt Judith, who had a sympathetic smile on her face.

"How are you feeling?" She whispered as she closed the door behind her.

"Not good. Everything is spinning; I think I've come down with something" Elena felt her own forehead.

"Well, I knew first off that you wouldn't have been feeling well...so I just left you in bed" Aunt Judith smiled again.

"I don't think it's anything serious...it might be just a 24-hour thing; Meredith had one of those the other day"

"And you might have caught it from her?"

"I must have; it couldn't have been anything else, could it?"

"I guess not. Well, it doesn't really matter because you're not going to school anyway; you need your rest"

"I can't. I'm too stressed out" Elena sulked; Aunt Judith sighed.

"Okay. Well, just try and get some sleep; I'm going to the supermarket to get groceries; do you want me to get you anything whilst I'm gone?" She asked opening Elena's bedroom door.

"A less complicated life would be nice" Elena murmured sarcastically.

"I'll see what I can do" Aunt Judith smiled with a slight frown.

"Bye Aunt Judith" Elena called after her as Aunt Judith closed the door; Elena sighed depressively. Now she was finally alone. Aunt Judith had gone to the supermarket...and Margaret was at nursery.

"Great" Elena said aloud, sarcastically. She climbed out of her bed and walked towards her bedroom window; today is such a beautiful day, Elena thought. It's a shame she couldn't really go out to enjoy it. Elena opened her window to be greeted to the sound of birds singing in the trees; she frowned. When birds came to her mind, she only thought of one bird in particular. Elena gulped.

"Damon" She whispered out loud; Elena immediately closed the window. All she could think about now was the fact that Damon could still have been hurt; Pain doesn't necessarily go away when you're a vampire...it stays with you, haunting you for the rest of your eternal life. All of this was going to end badly...for her, Stefan...for everybody; that was what the dream was telling her. Elena rushed over to her wardrobe and grabbed the prettiest thing she could find; white jeans and a pink top. She closed her wardrobe door, put on her shoes and headed out of her bedroom door. During that time, one question seemed to repeat itself in her mind; what had she done? Elena knew that there was going to be deep consequences for what she had done to Damon, she just hadn't admitted that to herself until now. Once she left the house, she stood still for a moment. Would it all be too late? Both answers for that question began to scare her; either way, she knew it wouldn't turn out good, but she had to try at least. She looked at Robert's car in the driveway; he'd gone on a business job overseas and wasn't coming back till the following week; if Aunt Judith saw it gone...she'd go berserk. So Elena began to run instead, run as fast as she could, until she stopped for breath just outside the woods.

**Stefan's POV**

_Dear Diary,_

_I used to think Damon was readable; I thought that I could plot his very movements, every step of the way. I could to some extent; I could tell whether he would be inflicting pain somewhere, other than where ever I am. But now, Damon seems as complex as the characters in very few novels; you think you've got through the first layers, but there are just so many more that you have to get through before you even scratch the surface of his core. I don't intend on knowing what runs through that dark, cold, depressive mind of his; it's too dangerous even for me, or anybody who ever wanted to consider it..._

"Oh great, _you're_ here; should have known. Shouldn't you be in school?" Damon said sarcastically as he came into Stefan's bedroom.

"I _do_ live here, Damon" Stefan pointed out as he lifted his head. Damon pulled a disgusted look. Stefan lowered his head.

"Not that I have any choice" He murmured as he continued to write.

"Ugh; you're writing in that again? Don't you think you've wrote about Elena enough?" Damon went from annoyed to furious. Stefan closed his diary and rose from his seat; he placed his diary on the shelf and turned to face Damon.

"Actually Damon, I was writing about you" Stefan edged towards his brother with little caution; Damon stifled a chuckle.

"Must be an eventful chapter" He smirked.

"You're not wrong about that" Stefan agreed.

"I can't see why it shouldn't...seeming I'm just so fun to be around"

"I don't find you even remotely fun" Stefan disagreed.

"That's because you're you, Stefan; you're the complete opposite of me...brooding, boring...some other word beginning with a 'b'" Damon smiled.

"146 years of eternal damnation is not all strawberries and cream, Damon"

"Oh come on, Stefan...you know I don't like strawberries...or cream" Damon frowned, disgusted; he soon laughed.

"You know what I mean, Damon; not everybody enjoys eternal punishment like you do...the ones that don't deserve it anyway" Damon smirked at this.

"Ouch. Well, I wouldn't really call it a punishment"

"What would you call it then?" Stefan folded his arms. Damon edged towards his brother.

"A second chance at life; well, a non...living life anyways; so you can just stop being all broody and start living your non...living life to its fullest" Damon smiled.

"I could stop being all broody...but you give me no choice in the matter" Stefan frowned and turned away from Damon.

"Hey, I promised you an eternity of misery; I'm just keeping my word"

"So you've said..." Stefan said gloomily.

"Well, I'd love to stay and inflict pain on you, Stefan; but I have places to go...girls to feed on" Damon smiled evilly.

"Don't you think you've had enough, Damon? I can still smell the last girl you fed on" Stefan took a deep breath.

"Stefan. .vampires; we are _eternally_ hungry...we're never going to be able to get enough, even to sustain us for a second"

"Just stay away from Elena, Damon" Stefan warned him.

"What makes you think I'm going to eat your girl?" Damon smiled, folding his arms.

"Just stay away from her" Stefan warned him again.

"Or what? I'll have you to answer to?" Damon laughed; he obviously wasn't taking Stefan seriously.

"Just go, Damon" Stefan placed his hands in his pockets; there was a certain authority in the way Stefan stood before his brother. Damon smiled and put up both of his hands in defeat.

"Fine; I'll go" Damon turned around and began to exit the room; but he soon stopped and turned around.

"Oh...and for your information, Stefan; I have no interest in going near Elena" Damon grimaced before finally leaving the room; he left the boarding house and headed for the woods.

**END OF CHAPTER!**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update this chapter; I've had maths exams to do that I had to revise for religiously **** I'm just so glad it's all over and done with and I can get back to the story.**

**Next chapter coming soon! **


	5. Chapter 5 Questions, Answers, Apologies

**Unexpected**

**Chapter 5 – Questions, Answers and Apologies**

**Elena's POV**

Elena wished that she had brought a jacket with her; from her bedroom window, everything had looked so warm and inviting...but there was something about these woods that seemed to take away the warmth as well as the light, the second you stepped through those invisible barriers beneath the trees. But there was nothing Elena could do about it now, she couldn't just turn and walk away. Something had to be done first; throughout her entire journey, Elena had nothing but images and visions run through her mind of a poor, innocent girl whom Damon had decided to get his own way with, like many others before her..._like me_, Elena said in her mind. She had tried to resist in so many ways...but she was powerless. Elena thought it over again and again; she thought she was strong enough to resist the devil that was Damon Salvatore.

No.

Devil wasn't the right word; to many he knew, he did give that impression; but he was so much less than that... _No Elena, you're not strong enough; look at you, you're sympathising with the man who's been hurting your one true love for years, _a tiny part of her conscience told her; Elena knew she had to agree with that, she knew that that was the only reason for Damon still existing in this crazy, messed up place she called her world. Elena knew that not far from where she stood, the boarding house would be just straight ahead. _Wish me luck_...

**Stefan's POV**

Stefan frowned as his brother left the room; why wouldn't Damon feel the need to go near Elena? Stefan asked himself. Damon was always talking to him about he planned to eventually make Elena his own; why the sudden change of mind?

"Hmm" Stefan said aloud, placing his hands on his sides; he walked over to his desk and grabbed his phone. He dialled in the number and waited for a response on the other end.

'_Hi, this is Elena; I can't make it to the phone right now...but if you leave a message; I'll be right with you'_

Stefan sighed and disconnected the call; he turned around and grabbed the small photo he had of the both of them, holding each other...eternal happiness captured in that one moment. Stefan continued to stare at the picture whilst he dialled the number again and waited for Elena to answer at the other end.

'_Hi, this is Elena; I can't make it to the phone right now...but if you leave a message; I'll be right with you'_

Stefan disconnected the call and put down the picture and the phone; he sighed deeply before grabbing his jacket and then exited the boarding house on his search for Elena.

**Elena's POV**

Elena sat down on an old tree that had fallen to the ground a long time ago; her headache was catching up with her, she needed a well-deserved rest. Elena sighed deeply and looked around her; the sky wasn't a perfect clear blue anymore...it was a dismal, charcoal grey. Great, Elena thought sarcastically. Everything around her seemed so peaceful and quiet until tiny animal noises began to surround her; amongst the noises, she could pick out specific animals...owls, squirrels...a crow. Elena's eyes widened and she alerted her body to stand up from its seated position; she began to look around aimlessly, searching for that one place where she knew she would find it. To her, it was like she was in a room of mirrors; the trees contrasted to the sky in a way that made them look symmetrical, all of it looked the same.

_Caw! Caw!_

There it was!

"What do you want with me?" She shouted.

Elena continued to look for the camouflaged bird, but all seemed pointless so she sat back on the moss covered tree trunk. She sighed and sank her head in her hands depressively and looked at the tiny insects dance on the thick blades of grass, which was in a way, kind of mesmerising; Elena's deep breath out caused her lips to ripple slightly, proving to her just how tedious and pointless coming into the woods actually was. _Maybe I should just go home_, Elena thought. _I've been searching for Damon long enough._ As Elena was about to get up from her seating position, the sound of the crow sounded again...causing Elena to alert her senses to the sky and then eventually fall backwards off of the tree trunk; She landed with a soft thump. Elena groaned disgusted when she realised the mud would have caused stains on her new jeans; she stood up unsteadily and quickly wiped the excess mud from the left side of her jeans.

"Stupid Bird" She mumbled. _Okay, that's it; I am definitely going home_, Elena said certainly in her mind. She clapped her hands sideways to get the mud off of her hands and slowly began to walk the way she had come.

"Birds are lot smarter than you give them credit for, Elena..." A voice came from behind her. Elena stopped dead in her tracks and turned around hesitantly.

"Damon..." She said breathlessly. He had that smile on his face that meant _'yes, it was okay to smile back, but he was still angry with you'_

"You were looking for me...?" He frowned with a small smile.

"I _was_..." Elena began; she looked at her muddy jeans disgustedly...then she looked back at him. "...but now I'm going home"

"Oh" Damon said simply; he sounded a little disappointed in some ways. There was slight pause before he spoke again...

"Is there something you want to tell me...?" He asked expectantly.

"What makes you think I have anything to say to you?" Elena asked icily, folding her arms; she hadn't expected her voice to take such a nasty turn.

"...Because you wouldn't be here otherwise"

"How do you know? I could just be innocently walking through the woods...and you and I just happened to cross paths right now" Damon sighed and shook his head lightly.

"Elena, you and I both know you have something to say..." Elena nodded in agreement.

"You're right, Damon; I do have something to say..." She smiled; there a long pause before she soon disrupted the silence.

"Goodbye..." She smiled and then turned to walk away but Damon stood in front of her in an instant, causing Elena to jump slightly.

"Now Elena, come on; I know that's not what you were going to say..." He smiled mischievously.

"I have nothing to say to you, Damon" Elena denied; Damon sighed.

"Well I could _compel_ you into telling me..." He smiled brightly.

"You know that won't work on me" Elena glared into Damon's dark eyes.

"I know" he smiled, eyeing Elena's necklace. "But I can just as easily take this off..." He stroked the necklace gently; Elena smacked his hand, signalling him to leave it alone.

"Damon, I have to get home; my Aunt will be worrying about me"

"You're not leaving... until you tell me" Damon said softly, even though Elena felt it was a threat.

"What's it to you anyway?"

"You said before that you were looking for me...all I want to know is why, that's all" Elena sighed in defeat and frustration.

"I was looking for you...because I was worried you were going to do something stupid" Elena said folding her arms.

"Why would you think I'd do something stupid?" He frowned.

"Because...I thought you'd still be hurt... after what I said to you when we last spoke" Damon remained silent for a while; each second that went by...it added to the tension between them.

"Hurt?" Damon asked, stunned. "Hurt is an emotion to the people that care..."

"You don't care about me...?" Elena asked sadly.

"I don't feel hurt, Elena; or guilt...so don't act like I do"

"Oh, and I suppose that glass you were drinking from, hit the wall by itself?" Elena raised her eyebrow with a small smile. Damon had no answer.

"Face it, Damon; you care...and you're hurting which is why I came to find you"

"Have you finished what you needed to say?" Damon snarled.

"You were the one who wanted to know what I was going to say to you..."

"Yes, and I think you've said enough" Damon said, as he began to turn away.

"I'm not finished!" Elena said, grabbing his arm.

"No. I think we're done here; why don't you go to Stefan? I'm sure he'll be looking for you" Damon snarled again, before pulling away from Elena's feeble grip and began to walk away.

"...Damon, I'm sorry!" Elena blurted out. Damon immediately stopped in his tracks but he never turned around, he remained motionless.

"I...I'm sorry, Damon"

"For what? You've done nothing wrong"

"Yes Damon, I have; I hurt you...I was wrong and I'm sorry" Elena waited expectantly, hoping that Damon would answer her; but he turned around and only seemed to respond with a small facial expression.

"Damon...?"

"I heard you" He said strongly.

"Well...that's it; that's what I had to say to you"

"Did you think you could fix me that easily...by apologizing?"

"I knew... I-I couldn't make it better..." Elena stammered.

"Then why bother in the first place...?" Damon now seemed slightly frustrated.

"B-Because...I-I just wanted to tell you...I was wrong to do w-what I did to you" Elena continued to stammer.

"I have had it happen to me more than you or anybody could count, Elena; I'm used to petty apologies"

"So, my apologies wouldn't matter...even if I got on my hands and knees and practically begged you to forgive me?"

"I can tell whether people actually _mean_ it; not that I forgive them, obviously" Damon's eyebrows rose slightly.

"I knew coming here was a mistake..." Elena murmured, frustrated.

"If you hadn't talked to me the way you had...well, we wouldn't be standing here" He chuckled to himself.

"You brought it on yourself, Damon" Elena said angrily.

"Here we go..." Damon said, rolling his eyes.

"Damon...I was wrong; I just hoped you'd understand that"

"I understand" He said simply.

"But you're not going to forgive me...?" Elena frowned.

"We'll see" He said seriously.

"What does it take with you? Just say that this is all water under the bridge and to get on with my life!"

"Why's that?"

"Because it's tearing me apart, Damon; I hate hurting you and look where it's got me! I'm having nightmares, I'm having hallucinations about silly birds...I'm terrified, Damon. Please...just end it" Elena begged him; her eyes were tearing up more and more every second that went by as she thought about everything that had happened to her.

"I did this to you...?" He grimaced slightly; he didn't seem the slightest bit touched by what Elena had said.

"No...I did this to myself; I'm just asking for you to forgive me so that this is all over..._please_...just say it; I want it to stop..."

"I can't help you, Elena" Damon said simply.

"Why not?"

"Why don't you figure it out?" He glared.

"Stefan" She whispered. "It's Stefan, isn't it?" She asked aloud.

"What makes you think it's him?"

"Because if I go back to him...I'll just hurt you again"

"I never said that..." He denied.

"Wait, you said you didn't believe anyone who tried to apologise to you...you don't believe me? Do you? That's why you won't help me" Damon hung his head slightly.

"Here" Elena reached to the back of her neck as she tried to detach her necklace.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked confusedly.

"This" She responded. Once she detached her necklace, she let it dangle from her hand, showing Damon the swinging object; she dropped it on the ground.

"Ask me if I'm sorry, now" Elena said, folding her arms seriously. Damon sighed deeply in defeat; he looked at the necklace lying softly in the grass. Elena looked down as Damon walked to it and picked it up with the gentlest touch; she raised her head when Damon's eyes were parallel to hers. She gulped when he gazed deeply into her eyes and placed both his hands on either sides of her face; _here we go,_ Elena thought and closed her eyes tightly before opening them again, ready for Damon to compel her; but she was easily disappointed when he sighed, placed the necklace back onto her neck and rested his forehead on hers with his eyes closed.

"I don't need to compel you to know you're sorry" He whispered gently.

"Huh?" Now Elena was confused; her eyes still remained closed.

"Taking the necklace off was all the proof I needed"

"So my constant begging didn't mean anything?" Elena smiled and eventually opened her eyes.

"It did...I just needed to see that you meant all of it; there is such a thing as acting, you know"

"Surely my straw-like hair and the circles under my eyes were enough proof to show you I wasn't lying" Elena sighed with embarrassment.

"I never noticed..." He smiled; Elena blushed. There was a short pause before Damon spoke again.

"Elena...?"

"Yes?"

"I'm only going to say this once; I forgive you... please don't make me regret it" Elena sighed gratefully.

"Thank you" She said hugging him gently, but he pulled her away and stared into her eyes.

"I've only done it because I don't like seeing you hurt; me being hurt is one thing, but you...I just couldn't take it"

"I'm still grateful, Damon; thank you"

"Don't make a big deal out of it"

**Stefan's POV**

_DING, DONG!_

Stefan crossed both of his hands in front of him as he waited patiently for someone to open the door; something inside of him was telling him that he was just being paranoid, that he was just being over-protective, as Elena would have said; but recent events had only seemed to spark something in his mind, that told him that something was wrong. Lately, Elena had been avoiding him...Damon was acting strange; well, stranger than usual...Elena wanted him to trust Damon, even though he told her many a time that he couldn't do it, even he did, he would soon regret it. Something was going on...

But what?

Soon, the front door opened to reveal Elena's aunt who seemed quite relieved to see that Stefan had actually turned up.

"Stefan? Oh thank God...please, come in" Aunt Judith said stepping aside to let Stefan enter.

"Is everything okay? Is it Elena, Where is she?" Stefan said worriedly as he entered the house and Aunt Judith closed the door behind them.

"Oh, Stefan; I've been looking for Elena everywhere..."

"She isn't here?" Stefan frowned.

"No...I thought she would have been with you"

"Elena wasn't in school today; I haven't seen her at all, which is why I came here"

"Elena didn't even leave a note...I just came back to the house and she was missing" Aunt Judith was full to bursting into tears.

"Have you rung the police?" Stefan suggested.

"No" She said shaking her head. "They won't class her missing unless she's been gone for at least a whole day"

"How long has she been gone?" Stefan asked seriously.

"I don't know; I was only gone for an hour or two...oh god, where is she?" Aunt Judith cried, sinking her head into her hands. Stefan placed his hands on her shoulders supportively.

"Don't worry... I'll find her; she couldn't have gone far"

"I'm a horrible parent! Why did I ever think that I could do it?" She continued to cry.

"Listen...Listen to me" Stefan said raising her head; the mascara she had been wearing had come cascading down her face. "We'll find her; don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong" Stefan said certainly, looking into her eyes; Aunt Judith nodded.

"Now; you stay here... I'll go and look for her..."

"You know where she is?" Aunt Judith asked hopefully.

"I have a vague idea" He responded grimly, nodding slightly.

"Please be careful, Stefan" Aunt Judith pleaded as Stefan headed towards the door, which he then eventually opened.

"I'll try my best" He said uncertainly with a grimace; he then closed the door behind him.

Stefan had been right about his accusations; something wrong _was_ going on. He didn't just have a vague idea of where Elena would be...he knew _exactly_ where she was and he also knew that wherever she was; Damon would be with her...

**END OF CHAPTER!**

**Next one on its way soon! Until next time, Delena Fans...**


	6. Chapter 6 History Repeating?

**Unexpected **

**Chapter 6 – History Repeating?**

**Stefan's POV**

_June 19__th__ 1863_

"_Stefan!" He heard Katherine call, running up to him with relief that she had finally found him again._

"_Katherine." He sighed gratefully when he scooped her up in his arms. Soon, the happy moment ended when Stefan pulled away from her._

"_Where were you, Katherine?" He asked worriedly._

"_She was in the woods" Damon answered from behind them. Stefan turned around to face his brother, who had smile creeping up his lips._

"_How did you find her?"_

"_I had a hunch; besides...she's safe now, aren't you Katherine?" Damon asked her with a smile._

"_Yes. Thank you, Damon"_

The Present Day

"Stefan!" He heard a familiar voice sounding from the distance.

"Elena?" He asked uncertainly, even though it was mostly to himself.

"Stefan!" She began to run up to him with everything she had.

"Elena!" He smiled as he hugged her, wrapping her up tightly in his arms; making sure nothing would break them apart.

"Thank god, I've found you" Stefan sighed with relief; then, he frowned.

"Wait, where's Damon?"

"You called brother?" He appeared from in front of them, with a large smile showing off his beautifully white teeth. Stefan never took his eyes off of him.

"Elena? Why don't you go inside? Your Aunt was worrying about you; she'll want to know that you're safe" Elena nodded slightly before entering the house.

"Where was she, Damon?" Stefan asked; he somehow expected what his answer was going to be. Damon had begun to laugh.

"Funnily enough...she was in the woods"

"I'm being serious, Damon" Stefan snarled.

"And so am I; she really _was_ in the woods"

"Do you have any idea of how she got there in the first place?"

"Hey; the girl is practically attached to the place" Damon smiled innocently.

"She was supposed to be at home" Stefan said angrily.

"Well, she wasn't; hence why she was in the woods and not at home"

"Stay away from her" Stefan warned. Damon laughed and held up his hands in defeat.

"I never touched her"

"What would make me believe you right now?"

"I give you my word as your brother" Damon pledged. Stefan shook his head lightly and began to walk past Damon, who swiftly grabbed his arm, causing Stefan to jump a little.

"FYI, if I touched her...you wouldn't see her again" Instead of Stefan walking away, he stood speechless, unable of what to say next; he always knew his brother was dangerous and would torment him in every way possible, even if it meant hurting Elena; there was just no stopping him and the things he could accomplish...it wasn't worth thinking about; Damon smiled to himself before hastily running away, disappearing in the northerly direction, leaving Stefan standing alone with his thoughts.

**Elena's POV**

Elena tried to close the door as quietly as she could; she knew Aunt Judith would be listening in. But Elena didn't want to be inside; she wanted to be out, looking after Stefan, hoping Damon wouldn't do anything to hurt him. No. Elena thought, immediately taking that thought from her mind. Damon would never do anything to hurt her...she knew that. But what was Elena compared to their eternal dispute? Surely they could put it all behind them and just focus on the positive things about the fact that they're alive; most people would kill for a chance at eternity. Elena sighed before resting her head on the front door, homing in on the boys' conversation; all she could hear were soft murmurs; they must have known she wouldn't have gone in so easily, just letting it pass. Elena turned around and slowly tiptoed into the living room hoping that Aunt Judith wouldn't catch her...

"Elena? Oh God, where have you been?" Aunt Judith cried pulling her into a bone-crushing hug.

"I-I'm sorry, Aunt Judith" Aunt Judith pulled away from her and glared into her eyes, making Elena feel slightly nervous.

"Where were you? You had me worried sick!"

"I-I...needed to get fresh air, so...I left"

"And, you didn't even think to leave a note?"

"I-I'm sorry...I promise I won't do it again" Elena cried.

"Oh, baby; I'm sorry I shouted at you" Aunt Judith stroked Elena's cheek gently. "It's just I care about you so much and with your Mom not being here...I'm just under so much pressure trying to protect her baby girls and keep them safe"

"Just to let you know...you're doing a great job" Elena smiled.

"Thanks Elena; I just don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you or Margaret"

"Hey" Elena said softly. Nothing's going to happen to us; you've looked after us well, and you're not going to stop now"

"Just promise me something, Elena"

"Anything"

"Next time you decide to go gallivanting off somewhere...just leave a note"

"You got it" Aunt Judith left the living room and walked into the kitchen; Elena followed.

"Stefan was worried about you too, you know" Aunt Judith began folding some tea cloths.

"Isn't he always?" Elena sat down at the kitchen table.

"He really _was _worried, Elena"

"Come on, Aunt Judith; I saw Stefan yesterday...he couldn't have missed me that much"

"Well...I guess I kind of exaggerated the subject of you being missing; I must have scared him, poor thing"

"You shouldn't freak him out like that...he's a sensitive guy"

"He loves you; that's all"

"I know he does" Elena nodded certainly.

"Elena, I don't think either of you do" Aunt Judith said doubtfully.

"Huh?"

"I have this feeling that you and Stefan seem a lot more...distant"

"Oh come on; that's ridiculous, Aunt Judith"

"Well, you don't talk about Stefan as often as you used to; I couldn't get you to shut up" Aunt Judith laughed.

"Aunt Judith, that was a small phase of my life; Besides, I was a kid"

"Elena, I was talking about two months ago"

"Doesn't matter; I've gotten used to the idea of having a boyfriend"

"So nothing bad is going on between the two of you?"

"Nope; it's all right as rainbows" Elena smiled; Aunt Judith smiled with a small laugh.

"You haven't said that since you were little" Aunt Judith commented.

"Old habits die hard"

"Listen, I managed to get Margaret from nursery after I went shopping; she's upstairs...do you want to check up on her whilst I make dinner?"

"Sure" Elena rose from the chair obediently, but stopped before she got to the stairs. "Aunt Judith?" She called.

"Yeah?" Aunt Judith responded.

"Does Margaret know about what happened today?"

"No. She thought you went to school"

"Good" Elena whispered to herself, with a small sigh.

Then she headed up the stairs...

_Knock. Knock._

"Come in" She heard her sister's voice call. Elena slowly opened the door and smiled at her sister who was cuddled up in bed playing with her _my little pony_.

"Elena!"

"Hey" She smiled, nestling on the edge of the bed.

"How was school?" Elena asked pleasantly.

"Good. I drew another picture today!" Margaret said excitedly.

"Can I see it?"

"I promised princess I'd show it to her first" Margaret said sadly, hugging her little horse.

"Do you mind if I spoke to princess?" Elena raised her right eyebrow slightly.

"Please be nice" Margaret pleaded.

"Don't worry, I will" Elena picked up the horse and stared at it with a smile.

"Princess? Margaret drew a picture today and she told me that she promised you that she'd show it to you first, but I'm her sister and I want to see it first. Would you let me?" Elena held its mouth to her ear.

"Mmhmm; Mmhmm" Elena nodded, looking at her sister.

"What'd she say? What'd she say?" Margaret asked impatiently. Elena gave the horse back.

"She said it'll be just fine"

"Okay!" Margaret leaned over the side and grabbed a small piece of paper from the floor.

"Here you go Elena" Margaret smiled, handing the paper to her. Elena's smile turned into a frown as she looked at the picture; Margaret had drawn a dark figure in the middle of the page, surrounded by tall looking trees...it was distorted if not vaguely familiar.

"Is...Is this Damon?" Elena asked nervously.

"Do you think he'd like it?" Margaret asked with hope and anticipation in her eyes; Elena hesitated before responding.

"I'm sure he will" Elena paused briefly.

"What made you want to draw him?" She asked Margaret showing her the picture.

"I like Damon" Margaret blushed.

"I'm sure he likes you too"

"Elena, will he come here again?" Margaret asked sadly.

"I don't know, sweetie"

"Oh" Margaret sadly hung her head.

"Why don't I talk to him?" Elena offered; a bright smile spread across her sister's face.

"He'll see my drawing?"

"He will; even if I have to drag him here by his ears" She said seriously, but smirked at the thought.

"Thank you, Elena" Margaret said gratefully.

"Margaret, why do you like Damon?" Elena asked with a slight frown.

"He's pretty...He makes me feel special" Margaret blushed.

"Trust me...he makes _every_ girl feel like that" Elena mumbled.

"Don't worry, I'll get on the phone to him and let him know you want to see him" Elena rose from the bed and stood by the door.

"Aunt Judith's making dinner" Elena noted.

"Okay" She accepted. "I just want to play with Princess, first"

"You two have fun then" Elena smiled; She opened the door and closing it behind her.

Elena sighed and walked across the hallway into her bedroom; when she opened the door, she wasn't as happy as she thought she would be. Something about being in her room made her feel nauseous; but she embraced it and fell tiredly onto the bed, sinking her face in the soft pillow...

**Damon's POV**

"_Master Damon?" A voice called him politely._

"_Yes?" Damon responded turning around to see the maid of his father's household; beautiful, brunette and slightly filthy from cleaning the fireplace._

"_You have a letter, Master Damon" The maid noted respectfully, handing Damon the letter._

"_Thank you; you may go back to your duties" The maid bowed down and walked out of the room. Damon ripped open the envelope and unfolded the letter inside; it read:_

_Dearest Damon,_

_I appreciate that you brought me back to Stefan...but he is too preoccupied with your father about matters concerning Fells Church; I need a friend. I'll arrange a place we could meet at a later date; I have matters of my own that need to be taken care of as soon as possible...I shall hope to meet you soon._

_K x_

**Elena's POV**

Elena rolled over on her bed and stretched her arm, so she that could reach her phone; when she saw Damon's number on the screen, she stared it with anxiety. Was this right? She asked herself. Sure Margaret wanted to see him, but if Damon came into the house...he could think Elena was ready into rush into it all over again; she'd already hurt him once, she didn't want Damon to regret forgiving her...because she knew she would too. Elena thought texting him would be the most appropriate thing to do; after two minutes of typing on the buttons, Elena slowly read her message.

_Damon, its Elena._

_Thank you for what you did for me; for taking me out of the woods and bringing me back to Stefan. I spoke to Margaret...you remember her, right? She's my little sister. Anyway, she drew another picture that she wants you to see. Don't worry; it's nothing like last time...you will actually come to like this one. So I'm inviting you over...just so you can see it; but no funny business..._

_E x_

Elena thought the kiss on the end was a bit drastic and could have been sending out the wrong signals, so she deleted it and pressed send. She let out a deep breath, got up and stood by the window with her phone in hand; she'd done it. Elena hoped that Damon would understand what she'd meant by 'no funny business'; Even though he had forgiven her, there were still certain boundaries that Elena continued to uphold...She hoped that he knew that too. Elena's phone rang the familiar tone, notifying her of a new text message; she'd searched through the phone a bit too excitedly.

_Hey Elena,_

_Just texin 2 c if ur up 4 r girlz nite out 2moro; had 2 change plans at last min, but it still guna b gr8._

_Tex bak wen u can_

_B xx_

"Elena! Dinner will be ready soon!" She heard Aunt Judith call from the kitchen.

"I'll be down soon!" Elena called back; she smiled at Bonnie's text. She could just imagine Bonnie's fingers whizzing away texting whilst the cogs in her mind thought up each and every word; it amazed Elena in some ways. Before Elena could even type the response back, she felt a small but chilling wind from behind her; she ignored it and continued to stare at Bonnie's message, trying to think of the response she was thinking of earlier...but her thoughts soon became distracted.

"Girl's night in...Can I come?" A voice came from the side of her. Dropping her phone, Elena turned around in shock, ready to scream at the top of her lungs... but her mouth was covered with a gentle hand. Damon laughed quietly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you;" He smiled, taking his hand away from Elena's mouth.

"Damon...nowadays, most people would use the front door" Elena said sarcastically, still gasping for breath. Damon laughed again.

"I thought I told you no funny business" She said seriously, finally finding her voice.

"Why did you invite me over here anyway?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes"

"I told you. My sister drew a picture for you and wanted you to see it"

"You were serious about that?"

"Of course I was. Why would you think different?" Damon remained silent.

"Damon..." Elena began.

"What?" He asked angrily; Elena hadn't expected that.

"Even though you've forgiven me...I still have my boundaries when it comes to me and you"

"Elena! Dinner's ready!" Aunt Judith called from downstairs.

"I'll be down in a minute!" Elena called back.

"You'd better go" Damon said softly, placing his hand on her arm.

"No; we still have to talk..." She pleaded.

"I have to go anyway"

"Well...what about Margaret?"

"Maybe some other time"

Before Elena could get another word out, Damon was gone; the curtains blew forward in the gentle wind that entered the window, which slowly sent chills down Elena's spine. She immediately closed the window; a new feeling was rushing through her, Elena didn't like it...but in a way, it felt good. Elena picked up her phone from the floor; she went through her contacts as quickly as she could before calling Damon's number.

_The person you are calling is unavailable, please try again. The person you are calling is unavailable, please try again._

"Damn it!" Elena mumbled.

"Elena! Dinner's getting cold!" Aunt Judith called again.

"I'll be down soon!" Elena responded, frustrated.

Elena began searching through her contacts again; Aunt Judith, no...Abigail, no...Ashleigh, no...aha, Bonnie. Elena pressed the dial button once again and waited for her voice to come on the other end.

"_Hello?" Bonnie answered._

"Bonnie?" Elena asked.

"_Elena! Oh thank God, you're okay...did you get my message?"_

"Yeah...I did"

"_Are you still up for it, then?"_

"Yeah, of course; why wouldn't I be?"

"_What's wrong? You sound shaken up"_

"Remember that thing I couldn't tell you about?" Elena asked nervously.

"_Yeah? Elena, are you okay?"_

"No"

"_What is it? Elena, come on...you can tell me"_

"Promise you won't say anything"

"I promise. What is it, Elena?"

"It-It...It's Damon"

**END OF CHAPTER!**

**A/N: The next chapter will take a while to be updated. I have the flu because of the bad weather I've been getting over here, but I'm trying not to let it get me down and I will try to get the next chapter ready and completed. I'll try my best not to let you guys down, I promise. **

**All my love xx**


	7. Chapter 7 Girl's Night In

**Unexpected**

**Chapter 7 – Girl's Night In**

**Previously: **_**"Promise you won't say anything"**_

"_**I promise. What is it, Elena?" **_

"_**It-It...It's Damon"**_

**Elena's POV**

"_What? What about Damon? Elena, has he hurt you?"_

"No. I don't know...Oh God; you know what? Just leave it; forget I've said anything"

"_No. Elena, you've told me now; what's wrong with you? What's wrong with Damon?"_

"Elena! Don't make me come up there! I know you're gossiping with Bonnie!" Aunt Judith called.

"Listen, Bonnie; I'm going to have to go...Aunt Judith's calling me"

"_Well, when can I talk to you? Is it serious? Does Meredith know?"_

"No; and it's not serious as such...but, important"

"_Important enough that it could be serious?"_

"Elena! I won't tell you again!" Aunt Judith called.

"Bonnie, I'm serious; I have to go...I'll tell you tomorrow, when we have our girl's night. I'll tell you and Meredith...no secrets. I'll just come out with it" Elena said hurriedly.

"_Fine; just... please be careful and don't get into any trouble"_

"Okay, bye" Elena hung up in a rush; she threw the phone on her bed and ran down the stairs at breakneck speed...

"I'm here" Elena said breathlessly as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"Elena's in trouble" Margaret sang; Elena smiled and stuck out her tongue.

"Elena; I don't mind you having a gossip with Bonnie every now and then...but when I have to call you ten times for your dinner..."

"Sorry; it won't happen again, I promise"

"So what were you and Bonnie talking about that was so important, you had to ignore me?" Aunt Judith placed Elena's dinner in front of her and looked at her, her left eyebrow lifted slightly.

"Oh, it was about tomorrow"

"You mean your girl's night?"

"Mmhmm" Elena answered, picking up her fork.

"I'm a girl! Can I come?" Margaret pleaded.

"Yeah, Elena; I'm a girl too, can I come?" Aunt Judith pleaded with a bright smile.

"Sorry, it's just for me and my friends"

"Aren't I your friend?" Margaret asked sadly.

"Of course; you're my very special friend. It's just something for the big girls, that's all"

"I'm a big girl!" Margaret complained.

"I know you are" Elena smiled. "Hey, why don't we have our own big girl's night?"

"For me and you?"

"Just for me and you" Elena giggled, tucking into her food.

"Did you see the picture Margaret drew today?" Aunt Judith asked.

"Mmhmm" Elena mumbled, her mouth filled with salad.

"Margaret's quite the artist, aren't you baby?" Aunt Judith smiled; Margaret blushed.

"Did you know who it was that she drew?" Elena asked swallowing her food.

"Mmhmm" Aunt Judith nodded. "And if I see him again...well, you don't want to know"

"Why? What's he done to you?"

"I show him hospitality by inviting him in to have dinner...and what does he do? He disappears"

"I wouldn't worry about it...It's sort of expected of him"

"Now I know why he and Stefan have issues..." Aunt Judith murmured.

"Could we not go into that again...please?" Elena begged.

"It's true" Aunt Judith mumbled.

"Well, you're just going to have to deal with it"

"You're feisty tonight" Aunt Judith commented.

"Not feisty...just weird"

"Any reason?"

"Hormones?" Elena guessed; Aunt Judith held up her hands, backing up.

"Whoa; do not want to get involved with that one"

"Good; you won't want to"

"Do you want to get involved, Margaret?" Elena asked with a smile; Margaret shook her head vigorously. Elena laughed.

"Teenage problems...gotta love 'em, huh?" Aunt Judith said sarcastically.

**Damon's POV**

Damon was sitting uncomfortably on Stefan's desk chair, swinging slightly from side to side. He jumped a little when a large newspaper was slammed onto the desk in front of him; Damon sighed.

"What is it now?"

"Look at it" Stefan said firmly.

"If I had a dollar for every time you've made me..." Damon began.

"Just. Look" Stefan glared; Damon looked at the paper with disinterest.

**FIVE MORE ANIMAL ATTACKS COME TO FELLS CHURCH!**

"So what?" Damon said shrugging his shoulders. "What else is new?"

"I told you to be careful"

"Normally...I wouldn't have listened to that; but considering the circumstances...I have to and I am telling you, it wasn't me"

"I told you to lie low, Damon"

"And I told you it wasn't me"

"Are you _that_ serious in making my life miserable...that you are willing to actually expose our kind?" Stefan obviously wasn't listening to him.

"Nothing would make me happier, Stefan; but...as this is _me_ we're talking about, I would like to point out..._again_...that I have been trying to keep _my_, sorry, _our_ identity a secret and it _wasn't me_"

"If it wasn't you, then who was it?" Stefan asked, folding his arms.

"Well, if they're leaving bodies like that... then they're trying to send a message"

"They've obviously met _you,_ then"

"Stefan, can't you just accept that the town is done for? Whoever's here, they've obviously made their mark by now"

"No, I can't; it's not just the town that's in danger...its Elena too"

"Well...I'll just leave you to the damsel in distress business"

"What are _you_ going to do?"

"I...am going to do what I have done for the past century and a half...take care of myself"

"I have to tell Elena" Stefan turned around and walked to the opposite side of the room.

"Oh sure, tell Elena; I mean, it's not like she's already worried about the town and everyone who lives in it; but go on...I'm sure everything will be right as rain once you tell her"

**Elena's POV**

"Elena! Breakfast is ready!" Aunt Judith called; Elena walked groggily down the stairs.

"Here you go" Aunt Judith placed a small bowl of cereal on the table.

"Thanks" Elena said hoarsely; she slowly picked up a spoon and tucked into her cereal.

_Ding Dong_

"I'll get it" Elena said hoarsely again.

"Elena? You might want to put a brush through that hair before you answer the door" Aunt Judith called.

"Mmm" Elena mumbled carelessly.

_Ding Dong, Ding Dong_

"I'm coming!" She called, irritated; Elena quickly opened the door.

"What? Don't you know how to wait?" She asked angrily.

"Elena?"

"Stefan? Oh, I'm so sorry!" She said apologetically; Elena then began running her fingers through her hair.

"Stefan, I'm not decent; I'll be right back" Elena was about to close the door, but Stefan stopped her.

"No. Elena, you look fine; can I come in?" He asked politely.

"Sure" Elena blushed; she stepped aside so Stefan could enter. Elena closed the door behind him.

"Elena? Who is it?" Aunt Judith called from the kitchen.

"It's just Stefan!" Elena called.

"He can't stay long, Elena!"

"Okay!"

"So...what brings you here, Stefan?"

"We need to talk" He responded seriously.

"Okay...err, we can go upstairs"

...

"What is it?" Elena asked when both she and Stefan stood in the middle of her bedroom.

"There's another threat"

"What?"

"We think there's another vampire in town"

"When you say _'we'_, you mean...Damon and you?" Stefan nodded.

"We know that there have been more attacks"

"So...whoever it is...they're getting closer?" Stefan shook his head.

"We can't be sure; we don't know what they want or why they're doing it...Damon thinks that they're trying to send a message"

"Yeah, telling us that they want to be noticed; we don't even know how dangerous they are..."

"I know"

"We don't even know how many have actually come here"

"From what Damon and I have gathered, we think it's just the one for now"

"For now?" Stefan placed his hands on Elena's arms supportively.

"Elena; I will _never_ let anything happen to you"

"Stefan...I don't want you to get hurt for me"

"Elena, I only care for your safety"

"I only care for yours" Stefan sighed with a smile.

"We could go on like this all day"

"Could we? At least you'd be safe" Stefan laughed.

"We have school"

"Stefan, I'm not even dressed yet!"

"I'll wait downstairs for you"

...

"Will we be safe here?" Meredith asked.

"Of course we'll be safe" Bonnie said certainly, whilst spreading her sleeping bag across the floor.

"As long as we don't invite anyone in and we wear our vervain, we'll be fine" Elena smiled.

"Did you tell your Aunt to keep the windows and doors shut?" Meredith asked.

"Yes. I told her and Margaret to keep their necklaces on too...and there's a storm outside anyway, so we have to keep the windows shut either way."

"It still would have been nice to go out at least" Meredith sighed, looking out of the window at the pouring rain.

"Hey, I promised a great girl's night...and it will be" Bonnie smiled mischievously.

"Why, what have you got planned?" Elena asked with a smile.

"Okay guys, don't freak..." Bonnie began with a smile.

"Why? What are you having us do?" Elena asked cautiously.

"Not spin the bottle! Oh god, Bonnie; I don't want another repeat of that" Meredith said fearfully.

"No" Bonnie laughed. "We're having a séance" She said excitedly.

"Oh thank god" Meredith sighed with relief, placing her hand on her chest.

"Bonnie, why are we having a séance?" Elena asked.

"Grandma said it was great practise...you know, because I'm a witch and all..."

"Bonnie, there's already a vampire on the loose...I don't want spirits added to the list of supernatural elements in the town" Elena said seriously.

"Why is it never makeovers or braiding each other's hair?" Meredith murmured.

"Bonnie, we're not doing it" Elena said firmly.

"Oh come on, Elena; please..." Bonnie begged.

"No, Bonnie!"

"Elena...spirits probably aren't even real anyway"

"Says the girl who's discovered she's a witch" Meredith said folding her arms.

"Elena, nothing will happen anyway"

"If anything does happen, we're stopping it" Bonnie smiled brightly.

"Okay...are all the windows closed?" She asked.

"They have to be, remember?" Elena growled.

"Right, we need a candle" Bonnie said, ignoring her.

"There's one in the bathroom upstairs" Elena pointed out sulkily.

"I'll get it" Meredith offered; she exited the living room and headed upstairs towards the bathroom.

"Bonnie, if anything happens...I don't want it waking Margaret and scarring her for the rest of her life"

"Elena...nothing will happen; I promise"

"Yeah well, for your sake I hope so" There was a slight pause before Bonnie broke the silence.

"Listen, about what you said to me last night...about Damon" Bonnie hesitated. _Shoot_, Elena thought. _I'd forgotten all about that._

"Well...err... I was meaning to tell you about that... " Elena began.

"Got the candle" Meredith interrupted as she came back into the room.

"Are we all sure we're doing this? Because we can just go back to makeovers and movies...like any other_ normal_ girl's night" Meredith hinted.

"We could...but there's no such thing as normal when it comes to us" Elena smiled at Bonnie.

"Listen, if your Grandma is telling you that this sort of thing will help...then that's what we'll do; we're sisters and we should be helping each other out"

"Thanks, M" Bonnie smiled.

"Right, let's get to it then" Elena said finally.

Both Elena and Meredith moved the sleeping bags to the opposite side of the room, whilst Bonnie placed the candle in the middle and then carefully set the wick alight, before finally turning off all of the lights.

"Is everything ready?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, everything's ready; we just need to sit in a circle now" Bonnie said looking at the floor. All three girls slowly sat down in a circle, on the smooth laminate flooring.

"Now, we need to hold hands" Bonnie instructed; Elena and Meredith obeyed and they all held hands and slowly closed their eyes. Meredith quickly opened an eye.

"Now what?" She asked.

"Now...we concentrate" Bonnie responded with her eyes still closed. Meredith closed her eye and took slow deep breaths; Elena and Bonnie did the same.

"Elena? Call on them" Bonnie instructed lightly.

"Call on who?" She asked, her eyes remaining closed.

"The spirits" Bonnie said simply. There was nothing but silence; Bonnie sighed, frustrated.

"Okay...Meredith, you do it"

"Err..." Meredith hesitated. "Spirits?" She asked aloud nervously. "We call on you?"

_This is ridiculous,_ Elena thought_. What spirits would come at half ten at night?_ _Why are we even calling on them in the first place? Bonnie can't just call them and then say "sorry, we were only practising" Maybe I should just tell her to stop. _

"Bonnie...I don't think this is..." Elena began; but she was soon interrupted when a large gust of wind blew across the room, causing the light from the candle to move slightly.

"Did you feel that?" Meredith asked, her eyes still closed.

"Yeah, I think we all did" Bonnie responded.

"Guys, the windows aren't even open" Elena pointed out. Both Bonnie and Meredith opened their eyes, their senses alerted towards the windows.

"Bonnie, maybe Elena was right...let's just put the candle away and we can just watch a movie" Meredith said worriedly; before long, the light from the candle went out, leaving the three of them still sitting in their circle, completely in the dark. Clashes of thunder and lightning sounded piercingly from outside, causing quick flashes of light to enter the room and the girls to jump slightly. All that could be heard now was their frantic hearts and heavy breathing.

"Bonnie, if we've set any spirits free; I swear to God..." Elena whispered angrily.

"Do you feel it?" Meredith whispered frantically.

"Feel what?" Bonnie whispered.

"I feel as if there's someone here" Meredith sounded like she was full to bursting into tears.

"Wait" Bonnie interrupted. "I can hear someone on the porch; it could be the vampire"

"No, they haven't been invited in..." _Unless it's Damon,_ Elena thought quickly. _Oh, please, please, please, let it be Damon. Let this be over... _The candle mysteriously relit itself; all three girls stared at it suspiciously.

The sound of the front door bursting open caused the girls to scream and immediately turn their heads to look at the door. It had revealed a dark, sinister figure standing in contrast to the rain and the large fork of lightning that appeared behind them. Elena could feel their eyes piercing her very soul, she could feel her every fear coming true...she felt that this was somehow the end. _Oh God,_ Elena pleaded in her mind. _Please let it be Damon...Please, Please, Please._ The figure entered the house; each footstep sent tensions rising between the girls. They crushed each other's hands in aid of support and comfort as they saw the figure walk further into the house...further...and further...until...

The hall light was switched on.

"What's all the screaming about?" A male voice sounded from the front hall after the front door was eventually closed. Elena let go of Meredith's shaking hands and hesitantly stood up.

"Robert?" She asked nervously.

"Who else would it be?" Robert asked as he appeared from the corner, completely drenched from the torrential rain.

"Sorry...it's just, you scared us" Elena said pointing out Meredith and Bonnie, who were still shaking like Chihuahuas.

"Well I'm not surprised with you lot sitting in the dark" Robert said as he took his coat off.

"We were just about to go to sleep, anyway"

"Well, wrap up warm; the storm's supposed to get worse" He said before walking up the stairs.

"Goodnight" Elena quietly called after him; she then sighed and switched the lounge light on.

"Come on guys; let's just go to sleep. Thankfully, the séance didn't work ...we've been scared enough tonight" She said tiredly, her face resting on the wall with her eyes closed.

"Err...Elena?" Bonnie said uneasily.

"What?" She asked, her face still rested on the wall.

"Maybe you should rethink that last sentence..." Meredith said timidly.

"Why?" She asked, finally lifting her face off of the wall.

The second Elena had turned around, her eyes had widened in shock and fear; she wanted to scream, she wanted to scream until her lungs wouldn't have been able to cope with the pressure. But all she could do was sink down to the floor and stare at was before her, with large tears falling from her eyes. There were letters written across the wall in blood, bold and striking; each letter sent heavy, painful blows to Elena's lungs and heart as she read the words that each letter had spelt...

**YOU'RE NEXT, ELENA**

**End of Chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8 Help Is At Hand

**Unexpected**

**Chapter 8 – Help Is At Hand**

**Bonnie's POV**

Bonnie knocked lightly on the door with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Come in" A voice answered. Bonnie obeyed and slowly and hesitantly opened the door. Once inside, she couldn't help but feel pain and sympathy. Stefan held Elena supportively as she sobbed into a duvet cover that was tightly wrapped around her; as if it could protect her from all that could cause harm. Bonnie carefully handed Stefan the coffee, who now kept it between both of his hands. She stepped back into the furthest corner of the room, where Meredith and Damon, stood and watched. There was nothing but silence in the room now; no-one even dared to fill that. The situation was too serious for either one of them to talk and offer suggestions; all they had to do was wait until the right moment...but none of them felt brave enough to do that. At this moment in time, it was best to keep quiet; one false move and that would be it... All of them watched cautiously as Elena lifted her head slightly.

"Why? Why _me_? What have _I _done?" She cried; Stefan put the cup aside and again wrapped his arms around her.

"You haven't done anything, Elena" He whispered softly. Elena was quick to turn and face him.

"But _why_, though? Of all the people they could have gone to...I had to be the one"

"What happened last night, anyway?" Stefan asked turning towards both Meredith and Bonnie.

"We had a séance" Meredith said regrettably.

"Why did you have a séance?" Damon interrupted, his arms folded tightly,

"Because _I_ needed help" Bonnie said quickly; everyone was now looking at her, their eyes curious and confused...even Elena's. Bonnie sighed.

"I knew that there was a vampire in town...so I wanted to have a séance to help me track it down" Bonnie eventually hung her head in shame.

"That...is the _stupidest_ thing I have ever..." Damon began, turning towards her.

"Could we not do this, please?" Stefan asked seriously.

"Bonnie, you told us it was because your grandma told you it was great practise..." Meredith began crossly.

"If I told you guys the real reason, you wouldn't have done it"

"We would have been better off! We didn't even want to do it in the first place and now look where it's got us"

"Guys, stop fighting...please" Elena begged hoarsely; she soon turned her head towards Bonnie.

"It's okay... Bonnie, you just wanted to protect us, I get it"

"It doesn't make sense though...why go to all this trouble?" Meredith asked.

"Because it's all for their amusement...vampires enjoy stalking almost as much as killing" Stefan replied dismally.

"How did they even get _in_? They obviously weren't invited..." Damon asked aloud.

"They could have spoken to a relative..." Stefan suggested.

"My Aunt..." Elena added.

"What about Robert? He came in the house last night" Bonnie suggested.

"He came in _after_ it happened" Meredith said shaking her head lightly.

"We don't know that...it could have happened at any time" Elena said.

"If it happened before he came in, how come he wouldn't have seen it?"

"The light was off, Bonnie; all we had was a candle"

"Well whoever it was, they have to be stopped before they do any serious damage" Damon said gravely to Stefan.

"Bit late for that, don't you think?" Meredith murmured with her head down; everyone now looked at her with confusion, in the hope of trying to understand what she had meant. Meredith lifted her head and eventually explained.

"Oh come on, this vampire has already killed five people...who's to say they won't kill more innocent people to get what they want?"

"Meredith's right" Elena agreed. "Whoever this is...if it's not me they want, they could kill even more innocents until they do get what they want; they could end up killing the whole town"

"Elena, they've been _invited_ into your house and they took the time to actually write that message on the wall; if they didn't want you, they would have done away with you already" Damon said sternly.

"Thanks Damon, you've really put it in perspective for me" Elena said sarcastically; she hung her head miserably.

"Elena, all Damon's trying to say is that if it is you that they want...then we'll just have to protect you in every way we can" Stefan explained delicately.

"No!" She bellowed, lifting herself from her curled position on the bed to stand in front of them, her posture firm and strong.

"I won't let you do it!"

"What would you rather happen, Elena? The vampire coming in here and killing you on the spot?"

"Bonnie!" Meredith scolded her.

"Yes" Elena answered simply.

"What?" Meredith asked confusedly.

"Yes I would rather have that vampire come in here now and kill me"

"Elena, you can't mean that" Stefan said sadly.

"Yes Stefan, I do mean that; I'd rather be dead than have all of you hurt"

"Well too bad; we're protecting you, Elena. End. Of. Story" Damon glared at her.

**Elena's POV**

Elena couldn't believe this; they were all willing to sacrifice their lives for her, not even daring to think of the consequences. She wanted all of them to see sense and to just give up; but no, there's always something that they could do to help, even if it meant ending their own lives for her. There was no way she could try talking them out of it; they'd already made their minds up and now they were determined to see through it till the end. There was just no point...

"Elena, we're only doing this because we care about you" Stefan said gently.

"If you really do care for me...then you won't protect me"

"Elena; now's not the time to be stubborn" Damon said firmly.

"Well, with the way things are going; I'd say I've pretty much earned the right to be stubborn"

"Please Elena, you've done so much for us in the past and you never ask for anything in return..." Bonnie began.

"So...what? This is a way of thanking me for what I've done? By practically killing yourselves for me?" Elena interrupted with her arms folded.

"Elena, we can look after ourselves..." Meredith began.

"You know what? I can't take another word of this..." Elena turned around and swiftly opened the door.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked, ready to follow her.

"I'm wasting my time; if there's no convincing you that what you're doing for me is wrong...then I shouldn't be here"

"Elena, it's too dangerous out there for you to be on your own" Stefan said, ready to stop her.

"I'll take my chances" Elena hastily left the room, closing the door behind her.

...

Once outside, Elena absorbed the crisp, clean air and looked at the sun bringing immense light to her surroundings; _so beautiful,_ she thought.

"Going somewhere?" A voice came from behind her; Elena was quick to turn around.

"If you're here to tell me that I have no say in what you do for me, then you're wasting your time"

"It's not safe for you out here" Damon said softly.

"Tell me something new"

"Elena..." He began.

"All I ever hear is 'we have to protect Elena'; the whole world doesn't revolve around me just because some vampire came into the town"

"It does if the vampire wants to _kill _you..."

"See, I don't get that; what does a vampire want with me anyway? I don't know any vampires for them to be that angry with me that they'll want to try and kill me!"

"We'll soon figure it out, Elena"

"You mean, before or after the vampire kills you all off?"

"Elena..."

"No, I don't want to hear it!"

"Elena, we are protecting you whether you like or not; you can have as many little teenage tantrums as you want..." Elena rolled her eyes and turned swiftly to walk away.

"Elena, where are you going?" Damon called.

"I've had enough, I'm going home! And don't dare try and stop me!"

...

_Dear Diary,_

_Things are bad again; there's another vampire in Fell's church_ _and now the whole town is on the alert. There have already been five deaths and I fear that there are going to be more added to that list... _

_I know that this stranger is after me...they even left a message to prove it. Strangely, it doesn't seem to bother me; it's only the fact that everyone I care about are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to save me. I've tried to talk sense into them, make them see that what they're doing is just too drastic and dangerous. I can't just let them die because of me. Damon seems the most serious about all of this...well, he's serious about practically everything he does or gets involved in, so I'm not exactly sure about him. But Stefan...I just can't even think of why he would want to do this for me..._

_Bang!_

"Elena, is everything okay up there?" Aunt Judith called.

"Yeah, everything's fine!" Elena responded, looking at the window. She placed her diary and pen on the side of her bed and went to investigate. Once there, she slid it open and hesitantly looked out of it in the hope of finding nothing there; she was lucky. Elena then quickly closed the window. But from the corner of her eye, she knew that someone was behind her.

"I thought we were past all of this" She said turning around, leaning slightly on the windowsill for support. Elena could see the weak smile on Damon's face.

"It's an intriguing thought, but I'm not here for that"

"Let me guess, you're here to protect me, right?" Elena pushed past him; now she was wishing Damon would just leave.

"I told you, we're protecting you whether you like it or not"

"Then why isn't Stefan here? I thought he'd be the first to offer to protect me"

"He's not strong enough to protect you, Elena"

"And somehow _you_ are...?" She said sinking her head into her pillow.

"Elena, Stefan has been living on a diet of feathers and bunnies; for a vampire, that's not normal" Elena lifted her head from the pillow and sat up straight facing him.

"Well if he's not strong enough then what's he doing now?" Damon's silence confirmed the answer to her question.

"He's drinking human blood? Just so that he could help me? He-he can't do that..."

"Elena, chill; he's helping Bonnie and Meredith at the boarding house" Damon said sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Helping them with what exactly?" She asked uncertainly.

"Who's doing what to protect you...timetables, stuff like that" He answered shrugging his shoulders.

"Timetables?" Elena frowned.

"For when we have to watch over you; according to mine, I'm doing it now, Tuesday and Friday" Damon smiled brightly.

"I'm glad you're happy about it, Damon; because I'm certainly not" Elena moaned.

"Elena..." Damon smiled.

"I get it; no say whatsoever..."

"What do you have to do in here?" Damon asked, looking around aimlessly.

"Not much; considering the fact that no-one in my family knows you're here"

"Are you up for any suggestions?" He asked mischievously.

"We could talk" Elena said simply.

"Fine. What shall we talk about?" Damon said folding his arms, prepared for a conversation.

"I don't know" Elena shook her head lightly; then something sprang into her mind.

"Wait; there was blood all over the living room wall, how come none of my family saw it?"

"I cleaned it up; no thanks required by the way" Damon smiled sarcastically; Elena had to giggle.

"You? You cleaned up? You. Damon Salvatore."

"Go ahead. Make fun" He said rolling his eyes.

"To be honest, I can't really imagine that" Elena smiled.

"Well, it just goes to show that there _is_ more to me than just fangs and rawrrr" Damon growled with a bright smile.

"Is there? Is there really, Damon?"

"Don't act so surprised, Elena"

"Well, if there is another side to you, why don't you just show it? You know, _instead_ of being all fangs and rawrrr?"

"Okay, yeah; we're done talking"

"You can't hide forever, Damon"

"Oh, yeah? Watch me"

"And to think we were actually getting somewhere..." Elena mumbled.

"Got any more suggestions? I'm bored already"

"How you've survived the past century and a half, I don't wanna know"

"I have ways of entertaining myself" Damon smiled playfully; Elena rolled her eyes.

"Wait, I have something" Elena shifted off of the bed and headed towards a cabinet that was on the opposite side of the room; she slid open one of the drawers and retrieved a folded piece of paper.

"Here; this is for you" She said giving it to him. Damon looked at it confusedly before finally opening it up.

"What is it?"

"It's a picture that Margaret drew at school"

"What's that weird looking thing in the middle?" He frowned; Elena laughed.

"Oh come on, Damon; even_ I_ could work out who it was"

"Who?"

"It's _you_, Damon; Margaret's taken quite a liking to you"

"Well, they always do" He said smiling smugly.

"She's _four_, Damon; not some sorority girl you manage to find every other week"

"So what's your point?"

"My point is; Margaret has taken a liking to you...she's highly sensitive when it comes to the people she likes, especially if they hurt her feelings"

"Well, I admire the thought...I mean; it's not exactly a Mona Lisa..."

"Damon!"

"Just tell her I like it, okay?" He smiled.

"Wow, Damon Salvatore _does_ have a heart after all"

"Like I said, Elena; don't act so surprised" Elena sighed deeply.

"You'd think after all these years, that you would have found someone that's sparked your interest"

"How do you know I haven't?" Damon smiled, looking directly at her.

"I mean, with all the girls that see you...surely you would have found someone special"

"I did; a loooooooong time ago"

"Katherine?" Elena asked hesitantly; she knew she would have pushed a few of Damon's buttons by saying her name.

"I loved her" Damon admitted sadly. "Well, I _did_"

"What happened with you and her?"

"Oh, you know; basic love triangle...ended up badly"

"Do you miss her?"

"Elena. The only thing I miss...is not being able to rip her heart out for what she's done"

"Oh"

"By the way, did you ask your Aunt whether she's invited anyone in, during the past couple of days?"

"Mmhmm" Elena nodded.

"What did she say?"

"She said 'no'; the only people walking in and out of the house are generally me, Margaret and her...nothing out of the ordinary"

"Damn it" He muttered under his breath.

"How long do you think this will go on for, Damon?" Elena asked anxiously.

"Considering the way this is turning out...a _very_ long time"

**End of Chapter!**

**Next one coming soon!**

**A/N:**** Told ya I wouldn't let the flu get me down! Haha**


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